How ZOO Can Help Support the Toronto Zoo

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1 How ZOO Can Help Support the Toronto Zoo Zoo Admission Admission into the Toronto Zoo supports the many conservation initiatives that the Toronto Zoo leads including the Adopt-A-Pond Wetland Conservation Program, Species Survival Programs (SSP), Animal Health and Nutrition and much more. Also, parking fees help feed over 5,000 animals! So on behalf of all the Zoo animals, thank you for your support. Membership Become A Member Today Did you know that a Toronto Zoo Membership is the best way to immerse yourself into the Zoo experience? Zoo Members enjoy unlimited free visits to Canada's premier zoo, with over 5,000 animals, daily keeper talks, special programs and events, early admission to the Zoo*, free Zoomobile rides* (seasonal), subscription to Wild For Life magazine, 10% discount in our gift shops, restaurants and much more! Also, when you are a Toronto Zoo Member you become part of the special team that works toward conservation efforts and a helper in protecting wildlife. Go online to or call Member Services at (416) to purchase your membership and for more information. Pre-purchase your membership online and pick up your membership card(s) at the Membership Office on your first visit, or stop by Member Services on your next trip to the Zoo to purchase in person and start enjoying all the benefits your membership has to offer. Did you know that visitors have up to two weeks to apply their admission to a membership? To find out more or to order your NEW Toronto Zoo Membership visit *Seasonal Operation Adopt An Animal Do you have a favourite animal at Toronto Zoo? Why not adopt it? The animal will live here with us, but you'll go home knowing you're supporting one of the most incredible Zoos in the world. Adoption fees help us take care of our precious animals, protect endangered species, and pursue on-going conservation efforts. And remember...adopt an Animal packages make great gifts anytime of the year! Wild Walk Start Your Wild Walk! You belong in the Zoo on the Wild Walk! You can step onto the Wild Walk in unique ways: remember a loved one or commemorate a birthday, graduation or anniversary. Whatever the occasion, a Wild Walk plaque makes a perfect, and unique, gift. Your generous contribution to the Wild Walk program goes toward the conservation efforts for all our wonderful animals at Toronto Zoo. So go ahead... pick a special occasion (or person), then make a dedication, and a difference, today!

2 Sponsorship Our sponsors reach a highly desirable target audience of young families and are rewarded with multiple marketing benefits that will increase awareness of products or services, enhance brand equity, drive retail traffic and help educate consumers. We achieve this through on-site activations, diverse media platforms, including traditional and social, intellectual property rights and a wide range of hospitality options. These tactics are then integrated with specific sponsorship opportunities at the Toronto Zoo that can include exhibit areas, exciting special events or education and species saving programs. For more information contact Peter Simpson, Business Development Officer, at psimpson@torontozoo.ca or

3 Become a Partner in Care and Conservation The Toronto Zoo s Development Division plays the important role of raising funds to support the Zoo s conservation, education, and research programs. The Toronto Zoo is a non-profit organization and contributions from generous supporters enable the Zoo to move forward with its various initiatives to save and protect species. The Toronto Zoo continues to maintain its position as a leader in wildlife care since its inception in However, modern times present challenges that call on us to continue this journey by developing and growing in new ways. Our fundraising efforts help the Toronto Zoo move forward with its renewal and conservation efforts. In recent years, zoos have undergone considerable changes in role and function and we know that the Toronto Zoo will continue to make significant contributions to wildlife and the planet at this crucial time. We have the history, the expertise and the vision to further our involvement in a number of conservation efforts and to educate others regarding wildlife care practices. New facilities and technologies will allow the Toronto Zoo to be more proactive in these efforts and to continue improving and advancing its practices. The Zoo s Wildlife Health Centre and Outdoor Orangutan Exhibit are two current fundraising priorities that are replacing aging infrastructure with new and more modern facilities. As a result of increased endangered species rates, the Toronto Zoo now operates a number of conservation, breeding and research programs that are designed to save species from extinction. Private donors and government research grants have made the Zoo's research, conservation, and education work possible. As the need for conservation grows, so does the need for additional support. Fundraising programs such as Adopt an Animal, Wild Walk, monthly giving and bequests enable generous donors help to provide support for the following programs: Wildlife Health Centre Veterinary Resident Research Veterinary Residency Fellowships Reproductive Physiology Research Program Adopt-a-Pond Education Programs such as Operation Conservation Nutritional Research Program Conservation Programs The above programs are crucially important in enabling the Toronto Zoo to continue the vital work of breeding and returning species back into the wild. Continued on next page

4 NEW Wildlife Health Centre Leaders in the Care and Protection of Wildlife Species The creation of a new state-of-the-art Wildlife Health Centre was a top priority for the Toronto Zoo s Development Team. We are proud to announce our new Wildlife Health Centre will lay the foundation for high-quality wildlife health, reproduction and species protection research allowing us to broaden our species survival mandate and contributions to current Species Survival Plans (SSP). Starting Saturday, May 20, 2017, the Zoomobile ride-all-day wristband or Zoo Membership card will give guests exclusive access to a viewing gallery in the new state-of-the-art Wildlife Health Centre. The public viewing area provides a glimpse into the Windows of Wildlife Science including the following rooms: Diagnostic Imaging, Treatment, Surgery, Clinical Lab and Endocrinology Lab. Guests will disembark at the Tundra Zoomobile Station for access to the Wildlife Health Centre. Endangered Species Through the work undertaken by our Wildlife Health Centre, the Zoo is a leader in breeding programs targeted at propagating and eventually returning endangered species to the wild. By breeding and releasing endangered species back into the wild, the Toronto Zoo has given a number of Canada s endangered species a chance at survival. Species such as the Vancouver Island marmot, wood bison, black-footed ferret, Blanding s turtle and Eastern loggerhead shrike have come back from the brink of extinction as a result of these initiatives. Additionally, research in animal care and nutrition is contributing to the body of knowledge used to save species in the wild, such as the polar bear. Vancouver Island Marmots In partnership, the Toronto Zoo has been involved in recovery efforts for the critically-endangered Vancouver Island marmot (VIM), a species endemic to Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The wild population was as low as 30 individuals and conservation breeding and reintroductions have saved this species from extinction. Reintroductions will continue in 2017 and if all goes as planned, the VIM Recovery Team will be releasing the 500 th captive born marmot into the wild. A tremendous effort and what a milestone as we celebrate Canada 150! Black Footed Ferrets The Toronto Zoo has been involved in the recovery program for the endangered black-footed ferret since Since then, the Toronto Zoo has produced hundreds of kits and animals have been reintroduced to the United States, Mexico and Canada. This program is a high priority for the Zoo as we attempt to re-establish black-footed ferret populations across North America. Autumn 2009 marked the first Canadian release of black-footed ferrets into the wild in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan after they had been listed as extirpated for 70 years a momentous achievement for the Canadian recovery program.

5 Wood Bison Wood bison reproduction and conservation has a long history at Toronto Zoo, beginning in 1977 when the zoo first became involved in conservation breeding efforts with this species. In addition to participating in the release of individuals for the establishment of a wild herd in Manitoba, extensive research was undertaken on the reproductive endocrinology of female wood bison to gain a better understanding of the changes in hormone levels during normal cycles and pregnancy. In 2007, the Reproductive Physiology program initiated renewed interest in bison reproduction and became involved in a nation-wide collaborative effort with the Wood Bison Reproductive Research Group (WBRRG). The WBRRG involves veterinarians and researchers from the University of Saskatchewan, University of Calgary, Calgary Zoo and the Wood Bison Recovery Team whose goals are to use artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer techniques to produce disease-free embryos and, subsequently, disease-free offspring. Polar Bears Hudson, Humphrey & Juno Three polar bear cubs, Hudson (2011), Humphrey (2013), and Juno (2015) have been hand-reared by Wildlife Health Centre and Wildlife Care staff after requiring medical intervention. Veterinary staff and animal care experts began the continuous process of monitoring their temperature, taking blood samples, weighing and feeding them with a specially developed formula to nurse them to health. Thanks to our research and wildlife care efforts, all three cubs are strong and doing well. Both Hudson and Humphrey have returned to the Toronto Zoo and their sister Juno now resides at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg. Blanding s Turtles The Blanding s turtle is a long-lived species, with a life span of up to 80 years, and has inhabited the Rouge Valley for thousands of years, though prior to 2014 its future was uncertain, with as few as six adult Blanding s turtles remaining. Parks Canada, the Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), University of Toronto Scarborough and the Toronto Zoo believe that the reintroduction of the Threatened Blanding s turtles through headstarting is a potential answer. Head-starting gives the Blanding s turtles a head-start in life by raising them past their most vulnerable life stages thus giving them a better chance of survival in the wild. Pairing head-starting with long-term monitoring and ongoing habitat restoration, the Toronto Zoo s Blanding s Turtle Head-Start Conservation Program, is a key to the species survival in the future Rouge National Urban Park. In celebration of Canada 150, on National Aboriginal Day (June 21) the Toronto Zoo, Parks Canada, the MNRF, and the TRCA will be reintroducing the 49 head started baby Blanding's turtles to a wetland that will be part of Rouge National Urban Park in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Canada s first national urban park. This will be the fourth year Blanding s turtles listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and a provincially and nationally Threatened species will have been released in the park. In June 2016, the same group of partners collaborated on the release of 36 baby Blanding s turtles in the Rouge, bringing the total number of released to 67 head-started and 50 hatchling Blanding s turtles.

6 Eastern Loggerhead Shrike The loggerhead shrike is a distinctive-looking grassland songbird with an unusual feeding habit. Shrikes are predatory birds and will often impale their prey items on thorns to help tear them apart, a habit which has earned them the nickname butcherbird. Sadly, although this species is found widely throughout North America, it is in decline continent-wide. The Eastern loggerhead shrike subspecies was once common in parts of Ontario when agriculture was more predominant, but its population has since declined dramatically. By 1997, the population in the province had dwindled to only 18 known pairs. Around that time, 43 nestlings were collected from wild nests in Ontario to establish a captive group for conservation breeding to help rebuild the wild population. Over the last two decades, the Toronto Zoo and other partner facilities have bred shrikes, which are released into suitable habitats in Ontario in late summer in advance of their fall migration. This augmentation process is helping to keep the Ontario population alive while field biologists work to identify and resolve factors contributing to the shrike s ongoing decline. Various specialists and departments at the Toronto Zoo, including Wildlife Health and Wildlife Nutrition, work together on this program and commit hours of care and observations to support the Eastern loggerhead shrike breeding program. For More Inspiring Conservation Stories Visit Toronto Zoo s Press Room Development Contacts: Sponsorships Peter Simpson psimpson@torontozoo.ca Adopt an Animal Linda Nadeau lnadeau@torontozoo.ca Bequests and Major Gifts Marion Zimmer mzimmer@torontozoo.ca General Donations