cd concept
Senior Member
Maybe it's in a bad location. Might as well bring it to the Toronto Islands. Looks like everything else is coming to the downtown area haha!
Maybe it's in a bad location. Might as well bring it to the Toronto Islands. Looks like everything else is coming to the downtown area haha!
A seasonal express shuttle from the closest subway stop probably isn’t the worst idea during peak months.. I’m sort of surprised they don’t have that to be honest with you.
The nature of a zoo being a seasonal attraction with huge land requirements and especially the zoo’s location on the edge of the urban area means that rapid transit to its doorstep likely doesn’t make much sense.
If you ask me it should be a provincial facility anyway. The zoo services the entire province.. people come from all over to go to it. No reason Toronto taxpayers should be the only ones paying for it.
Well given that there is no regional government level in the GTA, it should fall to the next best thing, the Province.It doesn't really make sense for it to be a provincial facility - it is more a regional than a provincial attraction.
AoD
A seasonal express shuttle from the closest subway stop probably isn’t the worst idea during peak months.. I’m sort of surprised they don’t have that to be honest with you.
The Zoo should run it as its own private shuttle without using the unnecessary TTC infrastructure. And don't run it from STC, nobody wants to have to take the SRT.. Go from Don Mills and maybe make a stop at STC, and run it as a private shuttle.They tried this.
https://transit.toronto.on.ca/bus/routes/194-zoo-rocket.shtml
It failed miserably due to low ridership. It ran from STC to the Zoo.
The Zoo should run it as its own private shuttle without using the unnecessary TTC infrastructure. And don't run it from STC, nobody wants to have to take the SRT.. Go from Don Mills and maybe make a stop at STC, and run it as a private shuttle.
Lots of places in the city run private shuttles.. A ton of suburban malls run them downtown, office buildings, other facilities, hotels, etc. It's not that expensive.
The article does not mention the maglev, which would be a huge draw, even for those not interested in seeing wildlife at risk in person.Wonder what the long-term plan for the Toronto Zoo is- it definitely needs investment to make it less worn-out, and should definitely emphasize the conservationist and educational aspects of a zoo.
Hopefully the situation may get better once the EELRT brings rapid transit slightly closer to the zoo in the future, as its location is also one of its stumbling blocks.
Strongly disagree with shutting it down, as zoos are excellent places for people to connect with global nature in an immediate nature- otherwise, ecological conservation becomes a few degrees more detached, making it more difficult for people to emphasize (much like how climate change can be difficult for people to take seriously as it's seen in a rather piecemeal manner, that makes it harder for people to connect the dots).
The Toronto Zoo is trying to reinvent itself. Its very survival may be at stake
By Francine Kopun, City Hall Bureau
Sun., June 2, 2019
The Toronto Zoo is trying to reinvent itself. Its very survival may be at stake
The Toronto Zoo's new CEO was hired to transform it from its tired state into something vital. But in an era of animal rights and fiscal restraint at city hall, the zoo's future is far from secure.www.thestar.com
So...how's that maglev coming along?
I guess there's no suitable land in the downtown core. But the outer part of the Portland's and Tommy Thompson Park area is it great location in my opinion. They could build man-made Mountain and Hills out of steel that can house certain species on the inside of the mountain as well as the outside. Transit can also be extended to the Outer harbour Marina where a good possible site would be. The Science Center's is coming downtown might as well make this happen too ! Most people don't like to travel to far to see certain attractions. Not because it needs to be upgraded it's too far. location location location !I don’t think there are any suitable sites downtown - if anything we should merge Toronto Wildlife Centre with it. Accessibility is always an issue though.
AoD
The small Ecomuseum Zoo near Montreal is proof of that. Opened to the public in 1996, the zoo features only animals native to Quebec: garter snakes, porcupines, ravens, black bears and bald eagles, among others.
Two of the most popular exhibits? The river otters and the raccoons.
“People are curious to know what is in their backyards; they’re interested to know what we have here in Quebec,” says Emilie Sénécal, a spokesperson for the zoo.
Attendance has climbed 10 per cent each year for the past six years, says Sénécal, adding that people are drawn to the zoo because of its mission: it only accepts animals that were injured or orphaned or born under professional human care, perhaps another zoo, and cannot be returned to the wild.
The collection includes a three-legged porcupine, who lost a leg to another wild animal, and a fox who got a leg caught in a folding camp chair. Both animals have ramps in their enclosures.
“We have a very different offer,” says Sénécal. “People really like our mission.”
It runs entirely on private donations and ticket sales. It’s small compared to the Toronto Zoo, but it’s roughly the same distance from downtown Montreal as the distance between the Toronto Zoo and downtown Toronto, proving that people are prepared to drive out of their way for the right attraction.