Taking Animal Care to the Next Level at Your Toronto Zoo
How Your Giving Tuesday Support Strengthens Veterinary Innovation and Wildlife Health
Have you ever wondered what it takes to care for approximately three thousand animals from nearly three hundred species?
At your Toronto Zoo, exceptional care begins with a One Well Being approach that supports the physical, psychological and reproductive health of every individual. This holistic philosophy guides our Nutrition Science, Welfare Science, Wildlife Care and Wildlife Health teams as they work together to meet the unique needs of each animal.
As we celebrate Giving Tuesday this December 2nd, it’s a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and support the specialized equipment and innovative tools that strengthen this already exceptional standard of care. And with all gifts matched today until midnight on December 2nd by a generous donor, every donation helps our veterinary team do even more for the animals who depend on us.
Inside the Wildlife Health and Science Centre
Toronto Zoo’s state-of-the-art Wildlife Health and Science Centre, a leading-edge facility in veterinary medicine, animal welfare, nutrition, reproductive sciences, conservation breeding, and field conservation research.
Purpose-built to meet the highest standards of care, it supports both the everyday and the extraordinary health needs of the animals that call our Zoo home.
Through our public viewing gallery, guests get a behind-the-scenes look at the high-level care provided by our dedicated team. If you’ve had the chance to visit during a procedure, you’ll have noticed it takes a large team of skilled professionals to perform surgery on even the smallest animal, as well as a lot of specialized equipment.
This is exactly why Giving Tuesday support matters. Upgraded equipment such as advanced monitoring tools, enhanced sterilization technology and a motorized surgical table will allow our teams to work with even greater accuracy and confidence.
Helping Animals Participate in Their Own Care
The Wildlife Care and Wildlife Health teams work closely to train many of the animals in our care to voluntarily participate in their own health care to normalize situations that would otherwise cause them stress. Things like blood collections, ultrasound examinations, and hoof care are examples of medical practices performed regularly across the Zoo on fully conscious animals and through trained behaviours.
Hoof Care Across Many Species
Like horses, most hoofed animals (ungulates) require regular hoof care. We have many hoofed animals living at your Toronto Zoo, and the way we look after their hooves varies by species, and even by individual.
The Masai giraffe, for example, have become very comfortable having their hooves worked on thanks to the constant positive reinforcement training done by their team. Other species are more skittish, regardless of training, and in these cases, anaesthesia is the best option for attending to their hooves. Recently, we had three Greater kudu under anesthetic for this reason.
Essentially, the veterinarians and care teams are supplementing natural wear and tear. Without this intervention, long-term overgrowth can create more serious problems. It is also an ideal opportunity to check for infections or injuries to the hoof structure and take early corrective action as necessary.
Monitoring Pregnancies and Supporting New Life
Part of working with animals means babies! There are a lot of ways we prepare for births and monitor pregnancies, and perhaps the most useful tool we have is one used regularly in the human medical world too – ultrasounds! Unlike in the human world, we cannot simply ask a lion to hop up on the examination table.
Instead, the Wildlife Health and Wildlife Care teams work together to come up with creative ways to get regular ultrasounds on animals they cannot share a space with, without having to anesthetize them.
A great example of this is Jita, a 4-year-old female snow leopard who became pregnant last year. The first step was confirming the pregnancy. In Jita’s case, the habitat was set up in such a way that the veterinary team could put an extendable ultrasound probe on her abdomen through a fenced barrier, while she willingly presented her abdomen to receive delicious treats. These checks continued every few weeks, to ensure the cubs were healthy and to know how many to expect when she went into labour; we wanted to be sure she had birthed them all when the time came. This became a routine Jita was content to participate in and her comfort with the procedure and the proximity of professional caregivers meant that her stress would be lower on the off chance they needed to intervene further. We are happy to report she gave birth to two healthy cubs, Minu and Zoya, who have made their home in the Eurasia Wilds.
Ongoing Respiratory Care for Animals with Medical Histories
If you’ve spent time in the Africa Rainforest Pavilion, you’ve almost certainly come across 20- year-old-male Western lowland silverback gorilla, Sadiki, who lives with his half-brother Nassir. Even strong imposing silverbacks sometimes need regular medical care. As an infant gorilla, Sadiki had a serious case of pneumonia and as a result has a condition called bronchiectasis, which has left him more susceptible to pneumonia again in the future. As part of his routine care, the Wildlife Care staff have trained him to nebulize daily, using a small machine that produces a stream of vapourised drug which he inhales. This treatment thins the mucus in his airways and helps him cough up debris, preventing future infections. This regular preventive treatment has greatly improved a long-standing cough and has prevented any repeats of pneumonia for the last three years.
How You Can Make a Difference This Giving Tuesday
Your Toronto Zoo is home to a world class veterinary and wildlife health team. Their work is already exceptional, and with upgraded equipment, it can become even more advanced.
This Giving Tuesday, your support will help fund
• advanced monitoring tools for safer procedures
• an upgraded surgical disinfection machine
• a motorized surgical table that enhances precision and positioning
• specialized devices that offer deeper insight during diagnostics and treatment
Care is never one size fits all at your Toronto Zoo. Every individual has unique needs, and your Giving Tuesday contribution helps ensure our experts have the tools required to meet them.
Together, we can elevate animal care, strengthen veterinary innovation and support the well being of the incredible species that call your Toronto Zoo home.