Australasia Pavilion and Great Barrier Reef Exhibit.

On May 16, 2008 the Toronto Zoo will offer visitors a newly refurbished Australasia Pavilion featuring the much anticipated NEW Great Barrier Reef Exhibit. All FREE with admission to the Toronto Zoo.

Previous residents in the Australasia Pavilion, the echidna and hairy-nosed wombats, get to move into their 1,300 square foot newly expanded exhibits plus new outdoor viewing area! Also returning to the Australasia Pavilion will be Doni and Loka our Komodo Dragon couple, Chrissie the Tree Kangaroo and the Kookaburra, Black Tree Monitor and Green Tree Python.

Next stop- the beautiful and enchanting Great Barrier Reef. Formerly the Edge of Night, this new area showcases the stunning beauty and variety of the Great Barrier Reef-one of the Wonders of the World and a World Heritage Site. As you enter this new area you step into Coral Island where you can see an interpretive light display plus animals including the Sugar Glider and Tree Frogs. Turn the corner and you’re met with an underwater world-The Great Barrier Reef.

The centerpiece of this exhibit is the Great Barrier Reef Community Tank. Over 23 feet in length (7m) and 32,000 litres it offers over 1,000 reef fish such as Bamboo Shark, Parrot and Angel Fish all set within a colourful corral reef display. Surrounding the Great Barrier Reef Community Tank will be four other tanks that include the special Moon Jelly, two Australian Sea Horse tanks and the LIVE Coral Reef Exhibits.

This new underwater wonderland, teeming with a dazzling variety of marine life, will literally surround you and your family with clouds of hypnotically colourful reef fish moving through crystal clear waters, a perfect environment created by the latest technologies. Interpretive signage will support this new and exciting area offer visitors a chance to learn how important the Great Barrier Reef and its inhabitants are to the diversity of life.

For more information, visit www.torontozoo.com.