Animals remain 'top priority' during talks to avert strike, Toronto zoo says

Hundreds of Toronto Zoo workers could strike as soon as next Thursday, which may force the popular destination to close its doors to the public.

Zoo officials say they're hopeful a deal will be reached and that it won't have to close. But contingency plans are in place to make sure the nearly 6,000 animals that live at the Scarboroughattractionare taken care by non-unionizedstaffif there is a walkout.

Toronto Zoo spokesperson JenniferTracey says the animals will continue to receive "the best care possible" even if there is a labour disruption.

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CUPE Local 1600, which represents more than 400 workers ranging from zookeepers to gardeners, says it's concerned the zoo's board of management which includes four city councillors is trying to strip away job security language so it can contract out more workto the private sector.

We want to keep coming to work and taking care of our animals.- ChristineMckenzie, CUPE Local 1600 president and zookeeper

Christine Mckenzie, the local's president, says she's worried that would mean the specialists who work at the zoo won't be able to keep performing the work they're doing.

"It would basically open the floodgates to turning our zoological institution into more of a second-rate amusement park," she told CBC Toronto.

Union officials say the timing for a potential job action isn't good as several animals are expected to give birth in the coming weeks while breeding programs are also set to gear up over the next severalmonths.

Mckenzie, a zookeeper herself, works on the zoo's Vancouver Island Marmot breeding program, which is trying to stabilize the population of Canada's most endangered mammal. The pups raised at the zoo are reintroduced to the wild on Vancouver Island, where there are believed to be between only 200 and 300 individuals.

Mckenzie says she doesn't want to stop that important work.

"I'm just as stressed as anyone else We want to keep coming to work and taking care of our animals."

Animals remain zoo's 'top priority' amid labour turmoil

Toronto Zoo spokesperson Jennifer Tracey says the zoo's animals remain its "top priority" now and in the future, and refuted the idea that the zoo is turning into an amusement park. A new master plan for the zoo's future, she notes, calls for it to be a leader in conservation and wildlife care.

Tracey said zoo employees are well compensated and that many of the union's demands to date are unaffordable.

With talks scheduled for early next week, she said she's hoping the workers will agree to a similar deal to those signed by the city's indoor and outdoor workers last year. Those deals provided small pay increases but also phased out some job security provisions for workers with less than 15 years of seniority.

"We just want to ensure consistency." Tracey said.

What gets people excited? 'Zoo babies'

Last year, the zoo warned it was dealing with poor attendance. However, the first quarter of this year has seen some improvement despite cold winter weather.

The zoo has already welcomed some 97,000 visitors as of the end of March, while February set an attendance record with 46,000 visits.

"Zoo babies," the report notes, continue to be a big draw for visitors.

Zoo members made up 41 per cent of the visits.