YOUR TORONTO ZOO IMPLEMENTING MANDATORY VACCINATION POLICY FOR STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS

TORONTO, ON, Friday, August 20, 2021:  Your Toronto Zoo today announced that it will be implementing a mandatory vaccination policy for its staff and volunteers to further protect our workplace, our guests, our COVID-19 susceptible animals, and our broader community. 

Your Toronto Zoo will be following the timelines set out by the City of Toronto which include:

  • All Toronto Zoo staff and volunteers will be required to disclose and provide proof of their vaccination status by September 13. Details on this request will be shared in the coming days. Staff who have not been vaccinated or who do not disclose their vaccination status by September 13, 2021 will be required to attend mandatory education on the benefits of vaccination. Unvaccinated staff will then need to provide proof of first dose no later than September 30.
  • As of October 30, 2021, it will be mandatory for all staff to have received their second doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. The Toronto Zoo will comply with its human rights obligations and accommodate employees who are legally entitled to accommodation.

“Simply put, the data is clear that vaccines work to save lives. Ensuring high rates of vaccination remains one of the most important tools we can deploy to protect each other, COVID-19 susceptible animals, and our community,” said Dolf DeJong, Toronto Zoo CEO. “We know that fully vaccinated people have greater protection against COVID-19 than unvaccinated people, including against the Delta Variant,” he added. 

Toronto Public Heath recently reported that since May 1, 2021, 98.7 per cent of hospitalized COVID-19 cases with known vaccination status were not fully vaccinated. 

Throughout the pandemic, your Toronto Zoo took important steps to provide a safe working environment for our staff, our volunteers, our guests, COVID-19 susceptible animals, and our community. We believe mandating vaccinations is our duty as an employer and our obligation to our staff and volunteers to take this next step and we will work together to mitigate a fourth wave of COVID-19. 

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Media Contact Information:

Amanda Chambers
Supervisor of Strategic Communications
[email protected]




For general information visit torontozoo.com

The Toronto Zoo’s mission is to connect people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction and our vision is a world where wildlife and wild spaces thrive.

An iconic tourist attraction and Conservation organization, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day including December 25 and attracts approximately 1.2 million guests each year.

Toronto Zoo is accredited by Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Zoo has also achieved the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Certificate of Good Animal Practice® and is inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).

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