The survival of the fittest
Re It’s a jungle in there, March 13 Better late than never is a cliché that is apt to describe the Toronto Zoo’s efforts to adapt to survive or see its attendance take a bigger hit in the future.
When I last visited the zoo, the lions and tigers were so far away that I should have brought a pair of binoculars. The zoo was also quite large for the smaller ratio of visible animals, excluding the birds and rodents. I felt I was taking part in a hike along some barren territory compared to my visits to other zoos in the world, Lisbon’s being the most spectacular.
The most memorable experience was the way this zoo was so accommodating to visitors who were able to see lions and tigers up close as these animals were kept behind a huge fence adjacent to a deep creek-like partition.
It’s the take-away experience of being so close to such ferocious animals that remains etched in a visitor’s memory for a lifetime. I should emphasize that there were no safety concerns, but sheer jubilation with the entire adventure.
The Toronto Zoo must be reorganized in a legal and political context if it is ever to become one of the great zoos of the world. Robert Ariano, Scarborough
“I loved going to the zoo but have not been in 20 years. Between the horrible traffic we now have, the problem of getting there by transit, and the cost, who can be bothered to go?” GARY BRIGDEN TORONTO
As usual, councillors and their ilk running the zoo have no clue. For years they run ads promoting baby animals to no avail. Now, they are floundering around looking for ways to boost attendance.
Why not look at how the Union-Pearson Express fiasco was handled? Officials charged way too much for the service and had to lower prices by half. Viola, ridership more than doubles.
The zoo has an $18 to $28 admission fee, with a $12 parking charge. Lower the rates to increase attendance.
Also, have dedicated buses running straight to the zoo from various points in the GTA. This expenditure would cost less than what is being spent on bringing baby animals to the zoo.
I loved going to the zoo but have not been in 20 years. Between the horrible traffic we now have, the problem of getting there by transit, and the cost, who can be bothered to go? Gary Brigden, Toronto As someone who has never owned a car, I can attest that getting to the Toronto Zoo is one of its biggest problems. A trip on the TTC from downtown Toronto can take an exhausting two hours, each way. Tourists visiting without transportation cannot be expected to subject themselves to that.
On a recent trip to Vancouver I was delighted to find that the Capilano suspension bridge, a top attraction that is inaccessible without transportation, offers approximately 70 free shuttle buses daily from two separate Vancouver locations. Grouse Mountain also offers free shuttle buses throughout the day.
Closer to home, the Stratford Festival has enjoyed enormous success by providing bus service to and from Toronto (for a nominal fee). So much so that it runs several buses daily, and now offers the service from Detroit as well.
Perhaps one part of the solution in boosting attendance is providing convenient, affordable transportation. It has proven successful in so many other locations, one has to wonder why the Toronto Zoo has not considered it in the past 40 years.
It’s never too late to at least try. Keith Perrott, Toronto I read with interest your story about declining revenues and attendance at the Toronto Zoo. Absent from the story, though, was any reference to changing public opinion about animals in captivity, and the PR debacle that was the Toronto Zoo thwarting efforts to move its elephants to a California sanctuary.
The zoo can bury its head in the sand and blame declining attendance on the weather, but the issue of ethical dilemma is a big one. Toronto taxpayers would do well to force the municipality to ask why it continues to support a cruel and outdated vestige of the past, which is what zoos are in the first place: the empire showcasing the flesh-and-blood spoils of the colonies.
How is this relevant when we have National Geographic and IMAX and others to help us educate our children about animals and bring them to us, up close and personal, without having to imprison them?
In a world where people no longer think it’s humane to tether their pets on chains in the backyard, you can pretty much guarantee the days of the zoo — and not just in Toronto, but worldwide — are numbered.
In this case, adaptation may mean saying “bye bye,” and won’t that be something to celebrate? Michelle Hauser, Napanee, Ont. If a cultural institution is deemed a failure because it needs public subsidies, Toronto would have extremely few, if any. The question is not how cultural institutions can achieve an austerity agenda, but how our governments can provide them with better funding. Phillip Roh, Toronto The Toronto Zoo is just too darned expensive. Aside from money for entrance and parking fees, and a few rides, there’s the food. The food at the zoo is unhealthy, expensive and sometimes a far walk to get to, especially for little ones. Put in more affordable and healthy choices and more people would ditch the picnics they bring and buy their food there. Paying more than 75 cents for a bottle of water is criminal and, believe me, that bottle of water costs more than that at the zoo. Joyce Bagley, Toronto Here are two suggestions for Toronto Zoo staff to keep the Zoo alive: 1. Network with wealthy companies or philanthropists to have school busing paid for. Busing costs are the biggest hindrance to teachers booking field trips.
2. Create two-day passes (much like Marineland has) for out-of-town families. The zoo is too big to see in one day but too expensive to return to for a second day. Rae Vandenberg, Kitchener, Ont. Only 103,000 students on school trips to Toronto Zoo last year, out of a total attendance of 1.14 million?
How can students learn biology, evolution, science, health or almost anything else without regularly visiting the zoo animals? Simon Leigh, Toronto