Name: Toka

Date of Birth: 1970; wild born in Mozambique, Africa

Captured: 1972 (Toka’s mother was killed in a government ordered cull) (1) 

Procured by: the Toronto Zoo on 4 September 1974

Rescued: October 2013

Gender: Female

Where Now: PAWS Wildlife Sanctuary (2)  

 

 

Loxodonta africana  For more information on how to ADOPT TOKA (3) and for more PHOTOS of Toka that you will love see them at: PAWS which includes  “The Toronto Elephants: PAWS PHOTO ALBUMS of                                 “The Journey” (4) and “First 30 Days” (5) 

Milestone: Toka turned 50 at PAWS in 2020

One of her Favorite Things: “…You can often see her grab a bundle of hay and tuck it under one of her tusks – then snack on the hay as she walks. “ (6)

Best Friends: “She is close with Maggie** and Lulu and wants to always be near them.” 

**Sadly Maggie died on Tues 3 Aug 2021 (7)

     

Toka (8) spent 39 years of her life at the Toronto Zoo with, among other elephants^^, Thika and Iringa who were all rescued by PAWS and Bob Barker in October 2013. 

Previously, on 28 June 1984 Toka had given birth to a female calf, named Toronto (10), who died just after her 10th birthday on 5 July 1994 (cause: salmonella). The father of Toronto, named Tantor (11) died of heart failure at the Toronto Zoo in 1989. 

^^ Tara, Tessa, Tequila, Patsy were among the 7 elephants who died at the Toronto Zoo                                                         between 1984 and 2009 (9). 

 

 

A Greeting Like No Other

Watch The Toronto Elephants: Arrival Day, Part 2, “The Greeting” (13) and you will see and hear (hold your ears as it can get loud!) Toka being welcomed to her new home the very first night she arrived after a long road trip from Canada to southern California. Joyce Poole of ElephantVoices, interprets (15) the various trumpets and rumblings of Mara, Maggie and Lulu in the Elephant Barn! A fascinating experience to behold! 

 

After settling in at PAWS Toka became receptive to her spa treatments such as foot care, completely at ease with her caregivers especially when given one of her favorite treats, bananas, which “send her into a blissful state”. (12)

Each day Toka explores her forever home, whether browsing for leaves & grasses, plunging into a pond or soaking in a relaxing mud bath she is making her own choices, just living the life at PAWS on elephant time.

ADOPT TOKA at PAWS (3)

 

 

Sources: 

(1) PAWS’ February 2020 newsletter https://conta.cc/38XdJzX

(2)  http://www.pawsweb.org/index.html

(3) http://www.pawsweb.org/meet_elephants.html

(4)  http://www.pawsweb.org/documents/THE_JOURNEY_001.pdf

(5) http://www.pawsweb.org/documents/NOVEMBER_PHOTOS_TE.pdf

 

(6) PAWS https://myemail.constantcontact.com/February-Newsletter–African-elephant-Toka-turns-50-.html?soid=1101778242429&aid=o0gZXLIgDPs

(7) PAWS https://myemail.constantcontact.com/PRESS-RELEASE—Performing-Animal-Welfare-Society-Announces-Death-of-African-Elephant-Maggie.html?soid=1101778242429&aid=lN1QwmfO3mg

(8) https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=2101

(9) https://www.elephant.se/location2.php?location_id=197&show=4

(10) https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=2122

(11) https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=2120

(12) https://www.youtube.com/?v=iEXPOYNmZfQ  CC Video ‘Sanctuary for the Toronto Zoo elephants – the fifth estate’

(13) https://www.youtube.com/?v=YyZnJpj-Gfo CC video The Toronto Elephants: Arrival Day, Part 2, “The Greeting” by PAWSWEB

(14) https://www.youtube.com/?v=Ho00XV0uvn8

(15) http://www.pawsweb.org/documents/THE_GREETING_000.pdf?utm_source=OCTOBER+newsletter&utm_campaign=UA-16696807-1&utm_medium=email

(16) https://www.youtube.com/?v=oF_lZ0mag1k

 

Images: TOKA from ‘Elephant at Toranto Zoo’ cc video by OntarioAlive (14); Toka at PAWS from cc video ‘Sanctuary for the Toronto Zoo elephants – the fifth estate’ (12);Toka exploring PAWS from video ‘African elephant Toka rumbles to elephant friends Lulu and Maggie’ by PAWSWEB (16) 

 

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