Extreme weather, driven by climate change, has resulted in fewer visits to the Toronto Zoo so far this year, according to zoo staff in a report submitted to the city Thursday.
Wildfire smoke along with extreme heat in July is the main culprit, as it depressed visits for the first three weeks of what is a crucial month for the zoo to welcome visitors, said Jamie Austin, the zoo’s chief transformation officer.
“When there are advisories for people to avoid the amount of time they’re spending outdoors, a trip to the zoo just isn’t on the top of their list,” he said.
In mid-July this year, smoke from fires burning in northern Ontario drifted over Toronto, turning the sky orange and causing the city to be one of the worst places in the world for air quality. As a result, July visitor figures are 14 per cent below the zoo’s targets, according to the facility’s report.
By the end of September, 1,095,286 people had visited the zoo in 2026, which is nine per cent below the predicted target.
The City of Toronto warns on its website that Canada is warming at twice the global rate on average. As a result, Toronto, like many other cities, is experiencing more extreme heat and intense storms with heavy rainfall that increase flooding, power outages and infrastructure damage. These issues also impact the everyday health of residents.
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Continued extreme weather through the winter and summer is driving popular attractions like the zoo to engage in substantive preparations for climate change resilience to maintain visits.
And it wasn’t only July that caused a drop in visits, said Austin. The first few months of 2026 featured a cold, long, snowy winter. “We had a couple of closures due to snow accumulation on site; it just wasn’t safe to open. That’s very rare in the zoo’s history,” he said.
What followed winter was a cool, rainy spring that also did not encourage extended time outdoors. But now into the fall, above-target visitor numbers through September are indicating the zoo will have a strong October, said Austin. September saw close to 162,000 guests visit the zoo, which is 13 per cent higher than the facility predicted.
Events at the zoo like the Glow in the Wild lantern festival happening Thursdays through Sundays until January 2027 are drawing visitors. Regardless, Austin said preparations are ongoing to make the zoo more of an attraction that is not so reliant on the summer season.
“We’re looking long-term at how to make the site more resilient to things like climate change and make it more comfortable for guests to be here year-round, no matter the weather and no matter the time of year,” he said. The zoo has many indoor spaces to explore, he adds.
Yet guests remain relatively exposed to the elements within the facility’s Rouge National Urban Park campus that features exposed outdoor trails leading to pavilions and enclosures.
Climate change was also on the zoo’s radar when examining a drop in 2025’s attendance as well. Zoo visits in 2025 reached just over 1.25 million, down from about 1.36 million in 2024. In January, zoo CEO Dolf DeJong said 2025 heat waves and an ice storm in November that year also hurt demand.
The long-term vision for the zoo will increase the site’s resilience for animals and visitors, said Austin. That involves cooling stations, warming stations and more shading and shelter.
For now, Austin said he wants to encourage residents to visit this fall as they welcome new animals, including a baby wombat.
“I’d say it’s my favorite time of year to visit the zoo. The comfortable weather, the beautiful colors as the trees change and active animals…we’re seeing good attendance,” he said.
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