TORONTO ZOO SCENIC SAFARI DRIVE-THRU NOW OPEN!

TORONTO, ON, Saturday, May 23, 2020: Today, the Toronto Zoo officially opened to public the new Scenic Drive-Thru experience. With a sell-out crowd of over 700 cars expected on its first day of full operations, a number of VIPs were on hand to officially open and welcome the eager Zoo guests. Mayor John Tory, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Dolf DeJong, Chief Executive Office of the Toronto Zoo, and other local dignitaries and member of parliament were on hand to open the drive-thru and welcome guests at the Zoo’s front entrance.

“It was an exciting day today at the Toronto Zoo as we officially opened up the drive-thru to residents who are eager to see the animals that call the Toronto Zoo home. This new Scenic Drive-Thru will allow our residents to once again experience the beloved zoo safely. As we transition into rebuilding post-pandemic, we will need to find innovative and unique ways to open back up attractions in our city while following public health guidelines” said Mayor John Tory.

Present at the launch were: Mayor John Tory, The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Dolf DeJong, Chief Executive Officer Toronto Zoo, Gary Anandasangaree, Member of Parliament for Scarborough – Rouge Park, Vijay Thanigasalam, MPP for Scarborough-Rouge Park, Christina Mitas, MPP for Scarborough Centre, Councillors Paul Ainslie, Ward 24 Scarborough-Guildwood and Chair, Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo, Jennifer McKelvie, Ward 25 Scarborough-Rouge Park, Cynthia Lai, Ward 23 Scarborough North and Gary Crawford, Ward 20 Scarborough Southwest.

“We are so excited to officially open this new experience to our guests. We have truly missed welcoming people to our Toronto Zoo and this is a new and innovative way for our guests to enjoy the Zoo in the safety of their own vehicles,” said Dolf DeJong, Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Zoo. “I want to personally thank all the Toronto Zoo staff for creating this experience and to our key stakeholders including the Province of Ontario, City of Toronto, Toronto Public Health and Toronto Emergency Services for their ongoing support of this new program.”

The new Scenic Safari driving route will allow guests to see the Zoo’s animals from the comfort and safety of their own vehicle along a 3.4 kilometres route which takes approximately 45 minutes to one hour. Guests will drive through areas of the Zoo including: Indo-Malaya, African Savanna, Americas and Eurasia. Guests will drive their personal vehicles through the Zoo’s Main Entrance and exit will be on Old Finch Avenue via a service gate at the Zoo’s Administration Building. This experience will have minimal to no contact between guests and Zoo staff/animals. This proposed route will allow Zoo guests to have a unique animal viewing experience complemented by pre-recorded audio with educational content to guide them through the experience. The audio can be downloaded in advance of guests’ arrival in the form of a podcast. There will be additional signage along the route to guide the guests through the experience as well.

Check out http://www.torontozoo.com/scenicsafari/ for details.

Guests must pre-purchase their tickets by booking their drive-thru time online at torontozoo.com.

Tickets are currently SOLD OUT. New dates/tickets will be available soon, watch torontozoo.comfor updates and ticket information.

What guests need to know:

• BYOC (Bring your own car) Vehicle dimensions must not exceed 7ft. high or 9ft. wide
• Only travel with household members. Staying in a car with non-household members is not recommended as that would be considered close contact and do not go if you have symptoms or are self-isolating
• Safari patrons will not be allowed to leave their car at any point once they start the Scenic Safari route
• Washrooms will only be available prior to the safari in the Zoo’s main parking lot

   

PLUS, listen to a guided audio tour during your Scenic Safari through our Wild For Life podcast!

Car with 2 or less occupants*
$44 Non-Member, $32 Member

Car with 3 or more occupants*
$59 Non-Member, $47 Member

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Media Contact Information:

Katie Gray
Manager of Strategic Communications
[email protected]
(416) 938-5283