We didn’t go anywhere when I was a kid.
Actually, we went everywhere. We just didn’t go in very many places. I had a rich and varied childhood, filled with the experiences of so many front lobbies, entryways and exteriors. From the wax museums of Niagara Falls to the Royal Ontario Museum and the Hockey Hall of Fame, we visited some of the greatest thresholds in the region. Once, we even stepped over a low railing and walked around the grounds of Fort York. That was a thrill. My brother still talks about the time my parents actually bought tickets to take us to the top of the Empire State Building. It was mind blowing.
One place we did go, however, was the High Park zoo. Growing up in the west end of Toronto, the zoo was a mainstay of my childhood. It was always open, year round, and it was always free. In fact, I’m not sure we ever went there when it wasn’t freezing cold. My dad would park up near the Grenadier Cafe and we’d scurry down the steep hill toward the entry. We were always trying to hustle in just before sunset, it seems, when the old wooden gate would be pulled closed for the night.
Once inside, it was always the same animals, the same ones that are there now. The fallow deer are quickly followed by Mouflon sheep and the peacock pen. Moving on, you can check out wallabys and Barbary sheep and (my favourite) the bison. The stinky yaks are across the road next to the Highland cattle. Bounce back to visit an emu or two and then finish up with the capybara and the llamas. And that’s it.
There’s an intimacy to that zoo and its rough-hewn road and walkways. It’s just big enough to be truly thrilling for a small child and small enough to get through without a meltdown. It’s a living, breathing part of my own personal history, my family history and the history of our city. And bringing my own children there is one of the great joys of my life.
The High Park zoo has lost its funding. The zoo is not included in the city of Toronto’s operating budget for this year and won’t be able to stay open beyond June — this June! — without alternative funding. City Councillor Sarah Doucette believes $100, 000 (and there’s only $75,000 to go!) in donations will be able to keep the zoo running until the end of the year and buy enough to time to explore corporate sponsorship or other funding options. (The entire park was bequeathed to the city on the grounds that it remain always free of charge and open to the public, so user fees are not an option.) My husband, Edward Keenan, also wrote about the plight of the zoo if you want to learn more. Fellow mom blogger and High Park local Emma Willer wrote about what the zoo means to her family. She wants to see you there for Earth Hour!
Here’s what you can do:
- Donate right now, right here. Ten dollars will score you a tax receipt. Double that and earn my undying gratitude. Pick up the entire $100, 000 tab and I’ll have your baby. Kidding. Kind of.
- Spread the word. Anybody who has ever been to High Park has fond memories and a story to tell. We want to hear yours. Blog about it, tweet about it (#SaveHPZoo), Facebook about it, talk about it at the water cooler. Remind people that places like the High Park zoo make this city worth living in and then get them to donate. (See step one.) Heck, here’s a bit.ly link to the donation page: http://bit.ly/HnnWSM
Put it out there! (After you donate.)
