Wild For Life

I had the wonderful opportunity to speak to Paula Mackie, a Reproductive Sciences Coordinator at the Toronto Zoo, about what the Reproductive Sciences team does to help drive conservation at the Zoo.  Paula tells me about how her passion for conservation guided her to work at the Zoo after exploring and working in other fields. She discusses the steps (and patience) it takes to create an animal embryo and she also explains to me why it’s so hard to preserve sperm from large cat species.    Episode 3 - Dr. Gabby Mastromonaco - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/wild-for-life/id1456395854?i=1000434606012”

Did you know that the red panda (Ailurus fulgens), known for being cute and cuddly, is an animal that is not related to the giant panda at all? In this episode, I interview keeper, Lisa Termini, who has the joyous opportunity to work with these incredible animals. I had the chance to ask Lisa some questions to find out more about the red pandas including what they eat, how the zookeepers use behavioural husbandry to work closely with the animals, and why they are endangered in the wild which, makes the work at your Toronto Zoo so important.

Jon Spero, Lead Keeper of Birds, joins me on the podcast to talk about the four species of hornbills at the Toronto Zoo. During the episode, Jon and I discuss the unique features of these wonderful birds, their cavity nests, and their conservation. Listen to why these birds are so important and find out what bird they are most often mistaken for.

Use this audio tour while on your Drive-Thru BOOmobile adventure at the Toronto Zoo! This NEW adventure takes you on a tour around the Zoo from the comfort of your own car and with this audio tour, your family can enjoy the beautiful fall foliage and festive décor while listening to a special Halloween-themed podcast! Book your tickets at torontozoo.com today and use this audio tour while on your Drive-Thru BOOmobile adventure at your Toronto Zoo.

The learning and Engagement team coordinates everything from sign content for our animal habitats to the volunteer and school programs that are designed to help you engage and learn about all of the wonderful conservation work that happens at the Zoo and within the community. Mary Ellen Fraser and Shawn Blackburn join me in today’s episode to discuss how the programming unfolds whether you are visiting the Zoo or connection with us through our virtual content.

Horticulture enthusiasts lined up to take a whiff of the corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum), Vincent Van Gross, whose name describes its smell. With blooms occurring once every 6-10 years and lasting for about 36 hours, this was a must-see at your Toronto Zoo! Clare Wharton joins me on the podcast to discuss the organization of the plant collection, why the corpse flower has an awful smell, and how it’s linked to the plant's reproduction success. 

The Toronto Zoo has a number of functions occurring at the same time from Zookeepers to Guest Services, the staff deal with many moving parts on a daily basis. One important function at the Toronto Zoo is to create better opportunities for the animals to strive and for researchers along with the public to learn about the animals that need protection.    The Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy is an organization that helps fundraise to pay for the many projects at the Toronto Zoo. I sat down with Beth Gilhespy to discuss some past successes for projects as well and projects we will see in the near future, including a new state of the art Orangutan Habitat Project.    To help fund the project, please click this link: https://www.wildlifeconservancy.ca/habitat   Toronto Wildlife Conservancy Website: https://www.wildlifeconservancy.ca/

Brent Huffman is back on the podcast to provide you with great information on the cheetah. We talk about how the cheetah is built for speed as they are the fastest land animal. We also talk about their social dynamics and how it affects the way the Zoo cares for them. Finally, Brent tells us about the conservation status of cheetahs and how the breeding program at the Zoo is designed to help maintain genetic diversity.

The Eland is a dynamic species that has a varied herbivore diet and an interesting herd dynamic. I wanted to find out more about the Eland so I sat down with Zookeeper, Jason Pootoolal, who passionately describes what it’s like to look after the Eland herd at the Zoo and what challenges wild Eland face in the African Savanna. https://www.wildlifeconservancy.ca/donate

When I think about the zebra, I think about another prey item; however, there is so much more to zebra than being prey for African Savanna predators. Amanda Taylor, Zookeeper at the Toronto Zoo, sits down with me to discuss the Grevy’s Zebra, the herd at the Zoo, and why these animals are classified as endangered in the wild.

Jenn Martin sits down with me to discuss Bactrian camels with me. I have great respect for any animal that lives in some of the harshest conditions in the world, where temperatures range from -40C to 40C, but the camel scoffs at those types of conditions as they are built to withstand temperatures, blowing sand, and low water conditions. Jenn talks about the various adaptations that camels have devised for the wild landscapes that make them so hardy.  She also discusses what it’s like to take care of the herd of camels at the Zoo, as well as behavioural husbandry exercises the Wildlife Care team uses to improve their care.

How do you take care of a 2000 pound wood bison at the Toronto Zoo? Well, I sat down with Zookeeper, Amy Goswell, to talk about the Zoo’s wood bison population. We discuss the Behavioural Husbandry work done with the animals to ensure the staff can provide the best care for these magnificent animals.  Amy and I also discuss how these animals fared over the past 200 years as their wild numbers declined from over 150,000 to only a few hundred - rising again to over 10,000 individuals. Amy tells us about the challenges they continue to be faced with while striving to conserve the wood bison and the extraordinary conservation technology the Zoo has used to help increase the bison numbers in the wild.  Link to Dr. Mastromonaco's Wild For Life Episode: Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/wild-for-life/id1456395854?i=1000434606012 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4zkd7fTvt23Nh7riKnb74k Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93aWxkZm9ybGlmZS5saWJzeW4uY29tL3Jzcw/episod

Do you like crocodiles, snakes, and turtles? How about if they were from the Indo-Malayan Region? Well, you are in luck! I had the chance to sit down and chat with Rick Vos, Lead Keeper of Amphibians and Reptiles at the Toronto Zoo. Rick tells us about how he became a Zookeeper and describes some of the reptile exhibits in detail. Rick even discusses some of the predatory features of snakes as well as why turtles in the region need to be protected.

Safety and security is a priority at the Toronto Zoo, especially during these unprecedented times where we must practice social distancing and pandemic protocols to ensure our safety. I was wondering how a Conservation facility like that of the Toronto Zoo would handle this pandemic when the province announced a state of emergency. I sat down with Joanne Eaton, who is the Safety and Security Manager at the Toronto Zoo, to ask her how the safety policies and processes were implemented for the COVID-19 pandemic.    Joanne talks about her past as a registered nurse and how she helped (and continues to help) navigate the Zoo through this pandemic.

I meet some amazing Zookeepers at the Toronto Zoo every time I interview them for an episode on this podcast. I always ask the Zookeepers to share stories about the animals they have worked with over the course of their careers. It’s the best part of my day to hear how the various personalities of the animals can make a Zookeeper’s day! Unfortunately, we can’t fit every story into each of the podcast episodes; however, I am pleased to tell you that we included some of the best stories from the careers of three Zookeepers at the Toronto Zoo: Ali Vella-Irving, Brent Huffman, and Aly Pidgen over a three-part series. This podcast features Aly Pidgen, who decided to take a different approach to Zookeeper Diaries and hand out awards for different parts of her career. Check out some of her amazing stories!

I meet some amazing Zookeepers at the Toronto Zoo every time I interview them for one of the episodes on this podcast. I always ask the Zookeepers to tell me some stories about the animals they have worked with during their careers. It’s the best part of my day to hear how the various personalities of the animals can make a Zookeeper’s day! Unfortunately, we can’t fit every story into each of the podcast episodes; however, I am pleased to tell you that we included some of the best stories from the careers of three Zookeepers at the Toronto Zoo: Ali Vella-Irving, Brent Huffman, and Aly Pidgen over a three-part series. This podcast features Brent discussing a few of his favourite satires during his career taking care of a variety of different animals from insects to marine mammals.

I meet some amazing Zookeepers at the Toronto Zoo every time I interview them for one of the episodes on this podcast. I always ask the Zookeepers to tell me some stories about their animals. It’s the best part of my day to hear how the various personalities of the animals make the Zookeeper’s day that much more interesting. Unfortunately, we can’t fit every story into each of the podcast episodes; however, I am pleased to tell you that we included some of the best stories from the careers to three Zookeepers at the Toronto Zoo: Ali Vella-Irving, Brent Huffman, and Aly Pidgen over a three-part series. Each Zookeeper tells their favourite stories from their career at the Toronto Zoo. This podcast features Ali talking about some of her top moments with the Western Lowland gorillas – including how gorillas are afraid of frogs.

In this episode of the Wild For Life Podcast, we are going to learn about the Great Canadian Raccoon. We often see raccoons in Toronto in alleys, curiously peering into garbage bins, and crossing streets, yet we never think about how successful they have been in adapting to human development. Zookeeper Kyle Banton-Jones discusses why raccoons are so adaptable and how they like to be challenged with enrichment at the Toronto Zoo.  Enjoy learning about these amazing creatures and find out about the fun personalities of the raccoons at the Toronto Zoo.

I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with The Toronto Zoo’s Snow Leopard Zookeeper, Jenn Martin, to discuss all things about snow leopards. Jenn explains what it’s like to care for the majestic snow leopards at the Zoo; why it’s so much fun to come to see them during the winter; and why they have such long tails! She also reveals why one particular snow leopard is one of the most famous leopards in the world. This particular big cat is so famous, people come from as far away as Japan to visit with her and take photos of her.  Listen to the episode to find out why. Snow Leopard Trust: https://www.snowleopard.org/snow-leopard-facts/ Donate To The Zoo To Help Snow Leopards: http://www.torontozoo.com/donate