Take a Safari in the City at Toronto Zoo

• Author: AnneC
• Accommodation: Toronto

One of the premier jewels in Toronto‘s crown, and without a doubt the best zoo in Canada as well as the nation’s largest, the Toronto Zoo was first opened in August of 1974. Located near the Rouge river, and bordering Rouge Park, it is in the former borough of Scarborough and encompasses an incredible 710 acres. Divided into seven stunning zoogeographic regions, with indoor tropical pavilions and natural outdoors environments, the zoo is home to over 500 separate species, with more than 16,000 members of the animal kingdom, including fish, birds, and invertebrates, in attendance.

Zoo Highlights

While the zoo offers educational fun to all ages, it features a few attractions just for kids, all concentrated in the Zellers Discovery Zone, where the Kids Zoo, the Waterside Theatre, and Splash Island offer a fun place for families to watch animal demonstrations, splash in the water, and interact with gentle donkeys, miniature horses, goats, and other creatures one on one.

One of the newest attractions is the Tundra Trek, added in 2009. An award winning exhibit where polar bears occupy a state of the art habitat, and where animals such as beautiful Arctic foxes, wolves, reindeer, and snowy owls tell the story of the tundra, this 10 acre area was designed to help zoo visitors understand the impacts of global warming and climate change.

In the Indo-Malaya area, two pavilions with four outdoor exhibit areas feature animals such as Orangutans and Indian Rhinoceros, beautiful butterflies, rare Clouded Leopards, and a number of other species representative of southern and southeast Asia.

The African Savannah area encompasses the majority of the southern third of the zoo, featuring species such as Masai Giraffes, Hippopotamuses, Zebras, and Lions, with the African Rainforest Pavilion being home to the world’s largest indoor gorilla exhibit. Refurbished in 2010, this area is also home to a colony of playful Ring-Tailed Lemurs and many other animals, including a number of primates.

More monkey species can be found in the Americas area, along with many other mammals, amphibians, insects, birds, and reptiles. A major highlight here is the Mayan Temple Ruins, which is home to a gang of Spider Monkeys, sleek Jaguars, and a flock of Flamingos, to name just a few of the occupants.

The Australasian Pavilion area features animals native to the Australian mainland, New Zealand, and nearby islands; Kangaroos and Wallabies, Wombats and Emus, Kookaburras, and Thorny Devil Stick Insects can be seen here, among many other incredible creatures. This area also features a massive aquarium display where sharks and other Great Barrier Reef natives can be viewed.

In the unique Canadian Wilderness, which is situated in the Rouge Valley, Elk, Moose, Lynx, Cougars, and Grizzly Bears can be viewed in their native environment, along with a number of smaller species. This area is the site of a special Canadian Bison breeding program.

The Eurasia exhibit is home to the Snow Leopard, Red Pandas, Bactrian Camels, a breeding herd of Prezwalski’s Horses, and a pride of Siberian Tigers, along with many other species. The oldest and quietest part of the zoo, this exhibit is filled with lush greenery and is particularly lovely during the summer months.

Throughout the Toronto Zoo, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to dine and relax, take amazing wildlife photographs, and even enjoy some spine-tingling thrill rides. Fun for all, with season passes offering locals the opportunity to take an exotic trip on a regular basis, this magnificent zoo is located north of Highway 401, on Meadowvale Road near Twyn Rivers Drive.

Nearby attractions include Rouge Park, Littles Road Park, Altona Forest, and