One of Toronto’s beloved institutions is reopening its gates this weekend.
Starting Saturday (May 23), the Toronto Zoo will offer a new safari tour where visitors can see lions, zebras, tigers and giraffes and other zoo animals from the safety of their cars.
Along pedestrian walkways and staff-only roads, the 3.4 kilometre route takes visitors through the zoo’s different geographic regions that are home to a variety of animals: Indo-Malaya (one-horned rhino), Africa Savanna (lions, zebras and cheetahs), Americas (flamingos and black-handed spider monkeys) and Eurasia (Bactrian camels, red pandas and Siberian tiger).
Toronto Zoo
During the safari visitors will also be able to see the Toronto Zoo’s newest resident, Baby Long Legs, an endangered Masai giraffe born May 12.
The Toronto Zoo is asking for people to only travel with members of their households and visitors are not allowed to leave their car at any point during the tour. Car windows and hatchbacks must be closed at all times.
A pre-recorded podcast tour provides educational content correlating to the animal exhibitions. The tour takes around 45 minutes to one hour.
Tickets go on sale Friday, May 22. For cars with two or fewer occupants, tickets are $44 for non-members and $32 for members, and for cars with three or more occupants, tickets are $59 and $47.
In April, the Toronto Zoo Conservancy raised over half a million dollars in one week to help feed the animals during COVID-19 closures. Usually the zoo raises revenue from ticket sales and parking fees. The $500,000 will help feed the animals for approximately six months.
As galleries, museums and concert halls continue to be closed for the foreseeable future, an increasing number of venues are pivoting to drive-in experiences.
The indie rock band July Talk announced a summer drive-in concert for August and the five-storey immersive Vincent van Gogh exhibit will be offered a preview of the show with a drive-thru exhibition in the old Toronto Star printing press at 1 Yonge.
@SamEdwardsTO
