Toronto Zoo To Require Proof Of Vaccination For All Zoo Animals Starting Oct 25

By Scott Slute

Scarborough - Following an announcement that all zoo visitors and workers will need to have received two valid doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, the Toronto Zoo announced today the policy would be extended to all animals on display as well.

“We believe this is the smartest decision to keep both our visitors and our animals safe,” zookeeper Adrian Frost tell The Harold, “And, The Toronto Zoo is proud to be the first and only zoo that is vaccinating it’s animals against coronavirus.”

The decision came after zoo employees remembered in the onset of the pandemic when that one tiger at the Bronx zoo got COVID. Felines, canines and primates are all able to contract coronavirus. Particularly bonobos, who have demonstrated their inability to exercise proper social distancing.

Bonobos seen here refusing to wear masks.

Although the vaccines have not gone through animal trials yet, the Toronto Zoo stated all other efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 failed miserably.

“We tried to get the animals to wear mask, but that was a disaster,” a zoo employee tells us, “The mountain goats simply refused, claiming that living at high altitudes made them medically exempt. The parrots learned a new word, ‘fascists’, and kept screaming it at all of us when we asked them to put their mask back on. It didn’t have to come down to mandatory vaccines but the animals gave us no choice.”

Animals that refuse to get vaccinated, or those who choose not to disclose their vaccine status, will still be able to stay at the zoo and use zoo washrooms. However they will not be allowed to enter their crowd-facing enclosure, including those that are outside.

The zoo also announced that for the time being the polar bear exhibit will remain closed. A zoo rep tells us that the polar bears were initially sceptical of the vaccine until more research was done, but have since all received at least on valid dose. The exhibit is expected to reopen later in November once all the bears have been fully vaccinated.

Scott Slute is the Editor in Chief at The Toronto Harold