Day 12

After we got breakfast, we headed off to Toronto Zoo, which is one of the largest zoos in the world. It has been open for 44 years, is almost 700 acres and has more than 5000 animals. They do a lot of work in animal health, scientific research, conservation, and education.

The zoo is split up into eight sections based on the origin of the animals, including Indo-Malaya, African Savannah, Canadian Domain, Americas, Tundra, Australia, Eurasia. We began by walking through the Indo-Malaya section, there were many interesting animals. We saw a greater long horned rhino, and were surprised to learn that a newborn can weigh up to 63 kg. 

After that we went to the African Savannah. We visited the giraffes, gorillas and hippos. We were fortunate enough to see the hippos being fed while the keepers performed a talk on them. Did you know hippos are the third heaviest land mammal after elephants and Rhinos? They are herbivores that use molars at the back of their jaws to eat. The teeth at the front are used for fighting and are made of ivory. Due to this they are vulnerable to poaching. 

Lastly we went to the Canadian Domain. It was really interesting seeing the animals that inhabit Canada and their adaptations to the Canadian environment. The racoons were a favourite as they were so active and cute. They are, however, usually considered a pest in Canada as they riffle through rubbish. Due to their opposable thumbs they can easily open bins and new racoon proof locks had to be designed. We were surprised at the sheer size of the bison and how many they had at the zoo. With a massive fluffy coat they could withstand Canada’s harshest winters.

At the zoo we also got our first sight of chipmunks running about. They are quite common in Canada and we thought they were fantastic. We also tried a new delicacy, beaver tails. They are a flat doughnut with different topping options. We had a delicious maple syrup and chocolate one to share. 

After we had finished at the zoo we took the “GO” train to Union Station. We sat on the second floor of the train with a great view of the lake. Before we caught the subway home we tried a chipotle. It was tasty way to end the day.