The furry face of Durham Region in Hollywood.
“Getting animals used to the presence of humans is at the heart of the art and science of zookeeping.”
Life of Pi – Yann Martel – Knopf Canada
With Durham Region’s creative economy roaring away, it seems appropriate that a tiger is becoming the face of the area. You may not expect big cats to be part of the local fauna, but with several zoos in the region, they are. You also many not expect that the Bowmanville Zoo is nurturing Hollywood stars, but it is—and has been for some time.
Zoo Director Michael Hackenberger says there are five things you need to know about Jonas:
- He is not a normal tiger.
- He is sweet, accommodating and decent.
- He volunteers.
- He really, really likes to swim.
- He is remarkably handsome.
Jonas is a film star, with film star looks. He lives at Bowmanville Zoo and recently returned from shooting in Taiwan. Jonas plays Richard Parker in Ang Lee’s adaptation of Yann Martel’s Booker Prize winning novel, Life Of Pi.
Jonas has already had a very interesting life at four years of age. He was born in Toronto, but hand-raised in Bowmanville. Last year he was stolen, along with two camels—Todd and Shawn—en route from Nova Scotia back home to Ontario.
The incident drew international attention, and the animals were eventually found several days later near Drummondville, Quebec. It was a worrisome ordeal as tigers need regular access to water. Jonas in particular has an above average love for a dip, and it was this trait that served him in the filming of Life of Pi.
The Bowmanville Zoo exists in two spheres. For Durham Region residents, it is the little zoo that could: the oldest private zoo in Canada, established in 1919.
It is an important part of the neighbourhood and of the community. Hackenberg sees the zoo’s role as bridging the gap that exist between the modern world and our past, to remind us that we share this planet with other creatures who live independently from us. They exist in their own right and for reasons outside of us.
In Hollywood, the Bowmanville Zoo is so much more. It is considered one of the top sources for trained animals, including Caesar and Bongo, the lions most famously from the Ghost and The Darkness, starring Michael Douglas. Other animals have appeared in Peter Benchley’s Amazon, George Of The Jungle and Animorphs.
That little zoo is in the top three respected animal training outfits in the world for film makers. Hackenberger estimates that, with visitors and movie viewers, up to one third of the planet has seen Bowmanville Zoo residents. The undoubted success of Life of Pi will only add to the numbers, and Jonas is set to become a star in his own right. A superstar, burning bright for Durham.
William McGuirk - Durham Regional Newspaper Group
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