Spend Boxing Day with the (real) Animals

That's a great idea! Everybody should go to the zoo to see what a disgrace it is. Witness the animals suffering from mental illness because of the stress of captivity (they're the ones pacing and doing other repetitive movements), be awed by exhibit spaces that haven't been updated in decades, visit the gift shop that rivals the trashiest dollar store. The zoo is faded, sorry mess. Everyonbe should visit, see for themsleves and be ashamed.

I can't hate on the zoo, but at the same time when I saw the Zoo had robot dinosaurs as their headline exhibit this year, it did seem like a desperate cry from a Scarborough outpost finding itself overshadowed by the ROM crystal and AGO redesign, plus the Science Centre.

But what would you suggest instead of a robot dinosaur? Like, what exactly does a zoo do to expand and update?
If the exhibits haven't been updated, are newer exhibits elsewhere higher-tech or something? I don't know but I'd guess they're the same.

Personally, I'd recommend that they purchase Sugar, a wild Zonkey from California.

The zoo isn't designed for adults blamb. Stop whining.

Perhaps the Zoo isn't the best place for these animals. Perhaps they'd be better off in the wild, or a wildlife preserve. However, the Zoo is the only place our young children will likely ever get a chance to see an endangered Tiger, or other animals that are threatened with extinction. When these children are responsible for the fate of these animals years from now, I for one, would be glad they had the chance to see them in person before they make decisions that could threaten the natural habitat of these creatures.

Why not have the best of both worlds? Go to Futureshop/Best Buy and in true Boxing Day fashion, join the frenzied herd of shoppers and pick up a copy of Planet Earth (in HD if available) to watch wildlife in captivity with the comfort of your home entertainment system!

Err... in the wild I mean...

Stop whining about the zoo Lamb. Are you a vegan too? Go back to your silly blog and take more blurry photos :). Everyone should visit, see for themselves and be ashamed.

A lot of us still like it and it is our nearest option to see a lot of these creatures, most of which are being hunted in the wild.

Chris: Actually, this isn't the first time they've had a dinosaur exhibit. Back in the early 90's they had that same pavilion filled with animatronic dinosaurs as well. I think it was a cool way to tell kids that 'Hey, these actually existed and if they still DID, this is how they'd appear.' Because you don't get the same feeling when seeing bones at a museum.

Brett - If I were advocating everybody go to a road-side zoo in Toronto, you'd have a point. However, the Toronto Zoo is home to some important animal conservation programs ranging from ferrets to marmots, to the once presumed extinct Przewalski's horse, where they had a foal in their herd this year. These behavioural concerns would be more appropriately voiced retarding the disgraceful conditions of animals at the High Park zoo, for example.

My point is that the zoo HAS become a dingy road-side joint. I used to love the zoo and used to go every summer -- as an adult, 'cause it's idiotic to suggest that only kids can enjoy seeing the animals -- so it doesn't make me happy seeing it in such a faded state. But open your eyes, compare it to zoos and other nature-exhibits in other cities and see it for what it is: an outdated place that has fallen on hard times and needs some attention.

I agree it's 'idiotic' to suggest only kids can enjoy seeing the animals, which is why I didn't suggest so. Perhaps the opinions you have would be better served aimed or directed tothe zoo rather than snarking in the comments of a blog post. If you really have these concerns, let them know. As I am not employed by the zoo, I can't really pass them on to anybody.

I know you didn't suggest it, I was responding to Ryan L. above who did suggest it. Fine, from now on I will remember that the comments aren't for making actual comments and will contain myself to cheerleading.