It Takes A Village...To Keep A Zoo

Everyone is talking about the 2012 Toronto Budget.  There’s a lot to talk about.  However the budget impacts a significant piece of our High Park history – the High Park Zoo.

When looking at the list of cuts, it struck me as ironic that not only is one of Toronto’s oldest, free attractions being shut down (for a mere $114 000 annual savings) – it’s that most people didn’t even know it was at risk.  How could it be?  How could it even end up on the list with the history it has?  It’s survived two world wars and the Great Depression, but not the 2012 Toronto Budget cuts.

  

The High Park Zoo is a special treat for most folks visiting the park and is deeply historical, established in 1890 for the park’s deer.  It sees almost 100 000 people a year. The zoo now holds several content, cold-loving species including bison, llamas, yaks, sheep, Highland cattle, and of course, the deer. The Howard Family’s condition of conveyance was that the City hold the park "for the free use, benefit and enjoyment of the Citizens of Toronto…” which has served all of us living near High Park very well.  Not only do we get to enjoy our beautiful park, but it brings visitors from all over to our businesses.  And makes our real estate very attractive!

At a cost of only $114 000 per year to run, minus the cost savings on fertilizer (you can guess where all the fertilizer for the High Park greenhouses comes from…very eco-friendly), it seems sad that something so sweetly reminiscent of Toronto’s older days is facing closure in less than 5 months. Riverdale Farm in Cabbagetown faced losing its $500 000 city funding in the 2012 budget – its residents heard about the closure and rallied to save it.  Can we?  Why haven’t we? Why didn’t we know about it?

This is a symbol of a larger issue – the beauty and uniqueness of our city, is dependent on what we deem as important.  The ‘little’ things that make our area warm and friendly, clean and beautiful are the things that are going: Wintercity outdoor programming, street cleaning, visitor centres in long term care facilities, tree maintenance, flower and shrub planting and yes, even management of the Christmas Bureau which distributes Christmas gifts to needy children. 

Remember the old cliché, “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child?” Well, in this case it takes a village to keep a zoo.  We need these services. The zoo needs to stay.  So do the Christmas gifts, flowers and trees; and coffee with friends in long term care. It’s part of what makes our village, a village.