Two of the city’s unofficial mascots are the newest residents of The Toronto Zoo. On Tuesday, the zoo announced it is welcoming two new raccoons to its Canadian Domain zone: River, a female, and Racer, a male. “Racer is aptly named: his keepers report that he is food motivated and quick to race towards a potential meal! Racer has a paler face than River, who tends to be more reserved,” it said in a post on social media. The Toronto Zoo shared that its new “masked duo” hails from Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Muskoka Region, where they’ve lived since 2019 after being rescued from a roadside zoo. They are both around eight years old, said the zoo. River and Racer are joining resident raccoon, Manny, whose former roommate, Micro, died last winter at the age of 14.5 due to age-related issues. The Toronto Zoo said it hopes its new raccoons will “provide companionship and social stimulation” for Manny. 3 raccoons met weeks ago The three raccoons were first introduced about two weeks ago, the zoo said, with them “getting howdy access to each other.” “The first full introductions between the raccoons were tense for all involved, with lots of vocalizations, body posturing, and some chasing. After a few skirmishes, Manny decided he’d rather observe River and Racer from the safety of a treetop!” it said. “Every day since, all three raccoons have been getting increasingly comfortable with each other. You may still hear them growling or chattering, and there is still the occasional skirmish, but they are well on their way to being tolerant roommates, if not bosom buddies.” The two new trash pandas also got to explore the main habitat on their own to familiarize themselves with the space, said The Toronto Zoo. River and Racer’s arrival is part of the zoo’s Guardians of the Wild Strategic Plan 2025-2028, which aims to connect people, animals, conservation science, and traditional knowledge to fight extinction.
