The Tundra was the habitat display at the Toronto Zoo that I chose to observe. After observing the display of the Tundra at the Toronto Zoo and researching, I believe that the display is an imprecise representation and reflection of the natural ecosystem. An ecosystem is a community in which plants, animals, and smaller organisms live, feed, reproduce, and interact in the same area or environment. At the Toronto Zoo, although some animals that live in the Tundra are present, the cold, harsh ecosystem is absent; both on land and under the sea surface, plants and animals have learned to survive in these harsh conditions. In spite of the fact that Toronto can be cold in the winter, it is nothing compared to the weather in the Tundra. In the summer in Toronto, the average temperature is to around 31 degrees. On the other hand, in the Tundra, the average temperature is 12 degrees. Although the animals at the zoo would have gone through adaptations to be comfortable in Toronto temperatures, it is a very significant difference compared to the Tundra. The few plants and animals that live in the Tundra are highly vulnerable to environmental issues such as reduced snow cover and warmer temperatures caused by global warming.
The interaction between more than three animals is virtually non-existent at the Toronto Zoo because there isn’t enough space or money to host more than a few of each species. Although many of the animals at the Tundra are said to be solitary and at the zoo there is only one to three of the same animal, which coincides with this, in nature, many of the animals hunt in packs and interact with one another.
Each species’ enclosure at the zoo is nowhere near as large and as its habitat in the Tundra actually is. Depending on the area in which each species inhabits in the Tundra, some species live where there is a lot of ice and frozen areas, whereas some live in mountainous areas.
Many, if not all, of the zoo habitats are lacking the plants and organisms that are present in the actual Tundra, mainly because of course, those type of plants do not grow and would not thrive in Toronto’s climate. Plants in the Tundra have gone through adaptations to be able to thrive in the Tundra’s climate; an example would be plants growing close to the ground to resist the cold temperatures and to group together so they are protected by the snow in the winter.
The animals at the zoo often have frequent interactions with humans. All of the animals at the zoo interact with humans whether it’s the zookeeper cleaning their enclosure and feeding them, or humans tapping on the glass window. Thus, all of the animals are being exposed to human bacteria, germs, and behaviour they would not otherwise be exposed to in their natural ecosystem.
Polar bears prefer areas of annual ice such as snow-drifted pressure ridges, refrozen cracks, and areas of open water surrounded by ice, thus in the tundra they often inhabit arctic sea ice and water. They use the ice as a hunting platform and protective cover. At the zoo, the environment is very different; there is a small pool of water and not much grassland; there is no ice or snow as would be found in their natural habitat. The polar bears are fenced in with nothing much to do as they do not have to search for prey and there is not enough room to roam around. Polar bears often travel in the wild throughout the year within loose, individual home ranges. Home range size depends on the individual’s access to food, mates, and dens. A small home range may be 50 000 to 60 000 sq. km, and such small home range can be found near Canadian Arctic islands. At the zoo, the polar bears have a tiny amount of space to move compared to their natural habitat. As a result, the polar bears at the zoo do not have the opportunity to live and thrive in their natural ecosystem in the Tundra/Arctic that they have grown accustomed to.
The interaction between more than three animals is virtually non-existent at the Toronto Zoo because there isn’t enough space or money to host more than a few of each species. Although many of the animals at the Tundra are said to be solitary and at the zoo there is only one to three of the same animal, which coincides with this, in nature, many of the animals hunt in packs and interact with one another.
Each species’ enclosure at the zoo is nowhere near as large and as its habitat in the Tundra actually is. Depending on the area in which each species inhabits in the Tundra, some species live where there is a lot of ice and frozen areas, whereas some live in mountainous areas.
Many, if not all, of the zoo habitats are lacking the plants and organisms that are present in the actual Tundra, mainly because of course, those type of plants do not grow and would not thrive in Toronto’s climate. Plants in the Tundra have gone through adaptations to be able to thrive in the Tundra’s climate; an example would be plants growing close to the ground to resist the cold temperatures and to group together so they are protected by the snow in the winter.
The animals at the zoo often have frequent interactions with humans. All of the animals at the zoo interact with humans whether it’s the zookeeper cleaning their enclosure and feeding them, or humans tapping on the glass window. Thus, all of the animals are being exposed to human bacteria, germs, and behaviour they would not otherwise be exposed to in their natural ecosystem.
Polar bears prefer areas of annual ice such as snow-drifted pressure ridges, refrozen cracks, and areas of open water surrounded by ice, thus in the tundra they often inhabit arctic sea ice and water. They use the ice as a hunting platform and protective cover. At the zoo, the environment is very different; there is a small pool of water and not much grassland; there is no ice or snow as would be found in their natural habitat. The polar bears are fenced in with nothing much to do as they do not have to search for prey and there is not enough room to roam around. Polar bears often travel in the wild throughout the year within loose, individual home ranges. Home range size depends on the individual’s access to food, mates, and dens. A small home range may be 50 000 to 60 000 sq. km, and such small home range can be found near Canadian Arctic islands. At the zoo, the polar bears have a tiny amount of space to move compared to their natural habitat. As a result, the polar bears at the zoo do not have the opportunity to live and thrive in their natural ecosystem in the Tundra/Arctic that they have grown accustomed to.
Arctic wolves often live in the Arctic where the land is covered with snow and ice for the majority of the year. At the zoo, there is no snow or ice and although in their natural habitat there is a brief period in the summer where there is less snow-covered area, their enclosure does not accurately reflect their natural environment. Arctic wolves live in a group of seven to ten individuals and despite the fact that there are three wolves at the zoo, the wolf pack dynamic is different from those in nature. In addition, Arctic wolves often have territories well over 1000 square miles because of the low density of prey in the Arctic. They can travel about 5 miles per hour when hunting and traveling in the Arctic. Their zoo enclosure includes perhaps one half of a mile with little space to run. Therefore, the Toronto Zoo fails to accurately represent and reflect the natural ecosystem that would be seen in the Arctic.
Snowy Owl observed at the zoo:
Brown Bear: