Mystery Solved During Media Literacy Week

TORONTO, ON, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 - It’s been a busy time here at your Toronto Zoo as we worked to solve a mystery with our friends at the CN Tower, who reached out yesterday requesting help identifying an elusive species spotted around the Tower, and then also showed up on a Toronto Zoo livecam. After reviewing the evidence, it appears we are both dealing with a rare species many Canadians might remember from the mid 1990s, commonly known as the Canadian house hippo. Closely related to the Pygmy hippos that call your Toronto Zoo home, the Canadian house hippo seems to be making a reappearance around the city in popular destinations.

Video evidence:

That seemed real – but it wasn’t! The real message behind the impressive editing tricks and this cute collaboration holds a deeper and important meaning, particularly in this world we live in where it is becoming increasingly difficult to discern what is real from what is not.

Your Toronto Zoo and the CN Tower teamed up with MediaSmarts, Canada’s Centre for Digital Media Literacy, to celebrate Media Literacy Week – a national event to promote digital media literacy which runs from October 26-30. In a complex digital world, we find ourselves asking “is this real?” more often than ever before. Knowing the difference between fact and fiction is difficult to navigate, and the house hippo serves as an important reminder to check the facts before sharing. MediaSmarts provides online programs like Break the Fake to help parents and educators provide young people with the tools they need to help ask the right questions, evaluate the source material, and think critically about the information they are absorbing.

“Here at Your Toronto Zoo, we thrive in real. We want people to come and experience firsthand the wonders of the natural world, learn, and capture content themselves. Knowing the source of information has never been more important, whether you are researching science and conservation facts, or selecting the best place to visit in your city. We are thrilled to participate in this partnership with another like-minded much loved Toronto destination, the CN Tower, and MediaSmarts, an organization committed to promoting the ‘Break the Fake’ campaign to know the difference between what is real and what is fake news”, says Dolf DeJong, CEO of Your Toronto Zoo.

“For 50 years, the CN Tower has helped connect Canadians and amplify the signals that keep us informed. Today, as the line between what is real and what is created becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish, that idea of connection takes on new meaning. With the recent addition of Maple, the baby pygmy hippo to the Toronto Zoo family, we were inspired to join the Toronto Zoo and MediaSmarts to amplify an important conversation about media literacy and encourage Canadians to pause, question and consider the source of what they see and share,” says Jennifer Paige, Director, Marketing, Communications and Partnerships, CN Tower.

From left to right: The Hidden World of the House Hippo (1999) by Concerned Children's Advertisers and House Hippo 2.0 (2019) by MediaSmarts

“The house hippo has always helped Canadians understand that we can't believe everything we see on screen. Today, with AI and other digital tools making it easier than ever to create convincing fake content, that message is more relevant than ever,” says Kathryn Ann Hill, Executive Director of MediaSmarts. “We’re thrilled to team up with the Toronto Zoo and CN Tower to bring this Canadian icon back for Media Literacy Week and remind people of all ages to take a moment, ask questions and check the facts before believing or sharing what they see online.”

This week, we encourage everyone to have conversations with their friends, family, and especially children about how they find their truth, and how they know they can trust their sources of information.

To highlight this important message and week-long campaign further, our friends at the CN Tower will be lighting the Tower teal and magenta, the colours to promote Media Literacy Week today, Wednesday October 28th. So, if you see the Tower all lit up, it is NOT fake news, it is real... and it carries an important meaning.

For more information, tools and resources that you can share on media literacy please visit the link below:

About Pygmy hippos

While we’re sorry to say you won’t be seeing a Canadian House Hippo after all, we do have a Pygmy hippo calf here at the Zoo who looks remarkably similar! Maple, born August 2nd, can be seen with her Mom, Kindia, in their African Rainforest habitat daily from 10:30 – 2:30 (times subject to change). Not able to make it to the Zoo this fall? Visit the Toronto Zoo+ page and enjoy free daily zoolife live camera access until November 9!

Maple is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Pygmy Hippo Species Survival Plan® (SSP), a cooperative program that brings together accredited zoos and conservation organizations across North America. The SSP works to carefully manage the population in human care, ensuring animals are paired based on genetics, health, and long-term sustainability to help maintain a strong and diverse population for the future.

Pygmy hippos are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with approximately 2,000 to 3,000 individuals believed to remain in the wild. Native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, they rely on dense, undisturbed habitats to survive. Unfortunately, these habitats are under threat due to logging, mining, agriculture, and human settlement, which fragment the landscape and make it harder for wildlife to thrive. Hunting pressures also continue to impact wild populations.

This is why your support matters. Unlike their fictional cousin, pygmy hippos are very real—and they are facing a startling reality. By donating today through our fundraising partner, the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy, you can help to advance vital conservation science efforts to protect endangered species, while providing exceptional care for the animals under the Toronto Zoo's care: