Wild For Life

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/episode/ZDM0ZDQyYmRiZDYyNGJiYTliNGQ1OGE3OWQ5OTZkNmM?ved=0CFkQzsICahcKEwiIu8yPq6jqAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBg

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