Zoo & Aquarium News

Missisippi Aquarium treating 40 Kemp's ridley sea turtles

Mississippi Aquarium's Christmas trees with a message

Mystic Aquarium Teams Up with Eversource for Major Energy Efficiency Project

Campus-wide initiative will help save energy, money; contribute to better experience for visitors

Second Rare Rhino Born at Lion Country Safari in 2021 Bolsters Conservation Efforts

Lion Country Safari in West Palm Beach, FL welcomed a second southern white rhinoceros calf to its herd this year in support of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium's Southern White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan.

Sea turtle conservation at Mississippi Aquarium

Brookfield Zoo Names New CEO Dr. Michael Adkesson to Lead Renowned Conservation Institution

The Board of Trustees of the Chicago Zoological Society announced October 15 that Michael Adkesson, DVM, MBA, Dipl. ACZM & ECZM, has been named president and CEO of the Chicago Zoological Society and director of Brookfield Zoo.

TOROTONO ZOO IMPLEMENTING MANDATORY VACCINATION POLICY FOR ZOO GUESTS

Your Toronto Zoo today announced that it will be implementing a mandatory vaccination policy for eligible guests, members, business partners, contractors and all other visitors ages 12+ to our Zoo site beginning Monday October 25, 2021. Through the pandemic, your Toronto Zoo has been consistently reviewing operations and developing processes to ensure the safety of all. As a next step and additional precaution, this new mandatory vaccination implementation will support us in doing our best to protect our staff and volunteer teams, our guests, COVID-19 susceptible animals, and our broader community.

Mississippi Aquarium treating endangered loggerhead sea turtle

The Aquarium is the state's only facility capable of treating the turtle

YOUR TORONTO ZOO ANNOUNCES PREGNANCY OF CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN

Twenty-nine-year-old Sumatran orangutan Sekali is going to be a mother again! She and father-to-be Budi (a fifteen-year-old male Sumatran orangutan) were paired at the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), and the Toronto Zoo is thrilled to further contribute to the future of this critically endangered species. Sekali has had one previous offspring (male Kembali, who still lives at the Toronto Zoo); Budi is a first-time father.

Rare Baby Rhino Born on World Rhino Day at Lion Country Safari!

Lion Country Safari welcomed a female Southern White Rhinoceros calf to its herd on World Rhino Day, September 22, 2021! The baby, named Aziza, is a significant new part of the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan.

CELEBRATING PUPPE THE SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN’S 54TH BIRTHDAY AT YOUR TORONTO ZOO

On September 23rd we celebrated Puppe’s 54th Birthday. Puppe has been at your Toronto Zoo since September 1974 and is the oldest Sumatran orangutan in North America. On this milestone birthday you can honour Puppe with a donation to the Toronto Zoo’s Wildlife Conservancy to purchase and install a Pushbutton Water Spray Feature in the new outdoor orangutan habitat.

John Ball Zoo First Zoo in World to Receive SITES Gold Certification for Sustainability

SITES Gold certification for the meerkat exhibit makes John Ball Zoo the first zoo in the world to receive this recognition.

YOUR TORONTO ZOO’S ENDANGERED AMUR TIGER CUB HAS A NAME!

TORONTO, ON, Thursday, July 29, 2021: In celebration of International Tiger Day your Toronto Zoo is excited to announce that our endangered female Amur tiger cub, affectionately known as #TOTigerCub, has a name! With over 15,000 people voting in the “Help Us Give #TOTigerCub A Name" promotion, one name has emerged as your favourite. Introducing, Mila! Mila, pronounced “Mee-la”, meaning loved by the people, gracious, dear one, was chosen through online voting from a list of four preselected names. The naming promotion was launched on Monday, July 19, 2021 and ran through Sunday, July 25, 2021 at 11:59 pm.

YOUR TORONTO ZOO ANNOUNCES BIRTHS OF NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES: THE ENDANGERED BLACK-FOOTED FERRET

We are thrilled to announce that your Toronto Zoo’s native species conservation breeding program for the endangered black-footed ferret has welcomed sixteen kits. Your Zoo has a long and proud history connecting people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction and this endangered species program exemplifies the importance of cultivating a world where wildlife and wild spaces thrive.

YOUR TORONTO ZOO - BIRTHS OF CRITICALLY ENDANGERED VANCOUVER ISLAND MARMOT PUPS SUCCESS

Your Toronto Zoo is excited to announce the births of six Vancouver Island marmot pups this year. This important conservation breeding program is part of the Zoo’s ongoing commitment to save wildlife to further protect biodiversity.

Threatened Blanding’s Turtles Released In Rouge National Urban Park

A collaborative initiative co-led by Parks Canada and the Toronto Zoo, added 48 juvenile Blanding’s turtles to Rouge National Urban Park today as part of recovery efforts to support this threatened species in the Greater Toronto Area. This release also commemorates National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 which acknowledges the heritage, cultures and achievements of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Turtles appear in many traditional teachings and Creation stories. Parks Canada and the Toronto Zoo are proud to help reintroduce “the turtle with the sun under its chin,” into Rouge National Urban Park.

YOUR TORONTO ZOO CELEBRATES CONSERVATION BREEDING SUCCESS OF THE BUTCHERBIRD

Your Toronto Zoo is excited to announce that our Eastern Loggerhead Shrike Canadian Conservation Breeding Program has welcomed hatchings. Your Toronto Zoo has a long and proud history connecting people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction and this flagship Canadian endangered species exemplifies the importance of cultivating a world where wildlife and wild spaces thrive. Known as the Butcherbird, for their behaviour of impaling food on sharp objects such as thorns and barbed wire, these Robin sized birds are at risk and need our help for a brighter future.

YOUR TORONTO ZOO IS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE ENDANGERED MASAI GIRAFFE MSTARI IS EXPECTING HER SECOND CALF

In celebration of Mother’s Day, your Toronto Zoo is excited to announce that endangered Masai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) Mstari is expecting her second calf! Mstari is six months into her 13- to 16-month-long pregnancy, or just past the first trimester. Conceived at the beginning of November 2020, the calf is expected to arrive in early 2022 - there is considerable difficulty in pinpointing a due date since giraffe pregnancies can range from 400-488 days in length. Your Toronto Zoo is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Masai Giraffe Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative breeding program among accredited zoos that recommended the pairing of Kiko and Mstari. The future second-time parents are mom Mstari, born October 17, 2013 at the Toronto Zoo, and dad Kiko, born October 22, 2012 at the Greenville Zoo in South Carolina. Your Toronto Zoo has raised 20 giraffes since 1974 with this upcoming birth being the second third-generation Toronto-born giraffe. Before breeding introductions took place last fall, keepers began collecting fecal samples to track Mstari's progesterone (pregnancy hormone) levels. Breeding was observed between Kiko and Mstari in October and early November, 2020. A lack of breeding activity at the end of November was the first sign of a suspected pregnancy, and confirmation was received on February 24, 2021 when the Toronto Zoo’s Reproductive Sciences branch detected elevated fecal progesterone levels.

Zoo Knoxville's $18M Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Campus Now Open

Zoo Knoxville has just opened its new Clayton Family Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) Campus, a state-of-the-art facility that focuses on world-class conversation. The ARC Campus spans 2.5 acres, is home to more than 85 species, and is the largest project in the zoo's history.

YOUR TORONTO ZOO NAMED ONE OF CANADA’S GREENEST EMPLOYERS FOR 2021

Your Toronto Zoo is proud to be named as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for 2021. Launched in 2007, this award recognizes employers with interesting environmental programs and Earth-friendly policies that actively involve their employees.

TORONTO ZOO ANNOUNCES HOPEFUL PREGNANCY OF ENDANGERED AMUR TIGER

Your Toronto Zoo is excited to announce that female Amur tiger Mazyria, affectionately known to Zoo staff and volunteers as “Mazy”, is believed to be pregnant. Hormone levels suggest that she is in the final stages of pregnancy; however, there is still the possibility that this is a pseudopregnancy (all of the signs of pregnancy, but without any babies). Mazyria, born at Granby Zoo in 2007, was introduced to male tiger Vasili, born at Calgary Zoo in 2012, this past January. Hormone monitoring confirmed they successfully bred January 17 and 18. Amur tiger pregnancies can range from 93 to 112 days in length, making it difficult to pinpoint a due date.

TORONTO ZOO WELCOMES BIRTH OF CRITICALLY ENDANGERED MADAGASCAR SPIDER TORTOISES

Your Toronto Zoo is thrilled to announce two baby Madagascar spider tortoises have successfully hatched. After an extensively monitored incubation period, these are only the second and third hatchings of the species at the Toronto Zoo, the first being in 2020.

Museum of Life and Science announces Carrie Heinonen as President and CEO

The Museum of Life and Science is pleased to announce that it has appointed Carrie Heinonen as its next President and Chief Executive Officer.

Mississippi Aquarium Releases Ten Rehabilitated Sea Turtles

Mississippi Aquarium successfully rehabilitated and released ten endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles into the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, March 26, 2021.

Mississippi Aquarium's Sand Tiger Shark Returns to the Main Campus After Successful Novel Surgery

Mississippi Aquarium's sand tiger shark has returned to the main habitat. The shark has been recovering after undergoing a novel spinal surgery performed by Mississippi Aquarium veterinary staff along with other human and veterinarian colleagues.

Mississippi Aquatic Institutions Selected to Treat Rescued Endangered Sea Turtles

Mississippi Aquatic Institutions Selected to Treat Rescued Endangered Sea Turtles Mississippi Aquarium and IMMS Collaborate with NOAA

Museum of Life and Science head Barry Van Deman announces departure

Barry A. Van Deman announced last week that he is leaving the Museum of Life and Science as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 31, 2020, following 16 years at the helm of the popular Durham attraction.

TORONTO ZOO’S POLAR BEAR RECEIVES PROMOTION TO HONORARY MASTER CORPORAL

Our five year old polar bear got a promotion in the Canadian Army and is now considered an Honorary Master Corporal.

Beloved Bird Returns Home Thanks to Lifesaving Care at the National Aviary

When Joanie the Wattled Curassow showed signs of feeling unwell, National Aviary veterinarians designed a customized treatment plan to help her recover

A Labor of Love Helps a Very Important Penguin Return Home

The return of an endangered penguin to her home at the National Aviary following a long illness was a success story months in the making