Photo via Facebook @TheTorontoZoo
Sometimes the best goodbye comes with a new beginning, and for two familiar faces at Peterborough’s Riverview Park Zoo, it meant heading down the highway to rejoin family.
Margaret and Marley, two eight-year-old female caribou, have officially relocated from Peterborough to the Toronto Zoo, where they have joined a larger herd of four female caribou already living at the Tundra Trek habitat. The move, which took place in December, was designed to improve the animals’ overall wellbeing by placing them in a more natural social environment.
Caribou are highly social animals that thrive in large groups, and zoo officials say the transition benefits both the Peterborough and Toronto herds. In this case, it also marked a reunion, as all six caribou were originally part of the same herd earlier in their lives.
Riverview Park and Zoo says the decision came after exploring every possible option to expand the local herd. With guidance from animal care specialists, relocating Margaret and Marley was determined to be the best long-term solution to ensure continued high-quality care, enrichment, and cooperative training. During their quarantine period in Toronto, both caribou have already been taking part in voluntary weigh-ins and adapting well to their new surroundings.
Toronto Zoo staff say the pair has integrated quickly with the resident group and is providing increased social opportunities for all six animals. The zoo also highlighted the move as an important example of collaboration in caribou care and conservation.
The partnership is supported by both institutions’ accreditations, with Toronto Zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and Riverview Park and Zoo accredited by Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums, allowing them to work together on animal welfare initiatives like this one.
While their absence will be felt in Peterborough, Margaret and Marley’s journey ends with a familiar herd, a larger social circle, and a new chapter that keeps their wellbeing front and centre.
Visitors to the Toronto Zoo can now spot them alongside their reunited family in the Tundra Trek exhibit.
(Written by: Scott Arnold)
