TORONTO

The Toronto Zoo enters an important anniversary year in 2014 and its two recent arrivals from China will help usher in the celebration.

Zoo spokesman Jennifer Tracey said the attraction turns 40 in August and there are plans to celebrate with new exhibits.

A key part of next year’s anniversary, however, will be Er Shun And Da Mao, two giant pandas who arrived on loan from China in March.

When the exhibit opened in May it drew record crowds. More than 1.4 million people had been through the gates to see the pandas by the end of October, a 31% increase in visitor traffic, Tracey said.

“We’re in one of the best (financial) positions we’ve been in in years,” she added. “There has been an increase in visitors.”

The zoo has taken in unexpected revenue related to panda merchandise, which has been flying off the shelves. The sale of stuffed pandas alone drove up retail sales at zoo stores by more than 20%, with nearly $4 million in revenue by the end of October.

“The revenues associated with the pandas, particularly in retail, panda plush went off the shelves,” she said. “I don’t think anyone anticipated that. It’s a wonderful problem to have.”

That cash will help finance operations at the city-owned zoo and research on numerous endangered species.

“It enables us to do more,” she said. “It’s not like it goes to shareholders. It benefits the animals and the number of species we have here.”

The zoo also bid farewell to its three elephants — Toka, Thika and Iringa — which were shipped cross-continent to a sanctuary in California. It was a difficult transition for the keepers who endured some high-profile criticism, she said.

“These keepers worked several training sessions every day to prepare them,” she said. “Despite what our own personal views were they focused on what was best for the animals.”

Tracey said the zoo also experienced another quiet victory this year with the birth of a polar bear. He is still in intensive care but staff are working help the cub grow stronger. It’s all part of their mandate, which goes beyond the traditional idea of zoos, she said.

“You have to start thinking about zoos not just as a place to look at animals but where it’s all about species survival,” Tracey said.

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the zoo will open a Eurasia exhibit, welcome several new animal births and renovate the old elephant enclosure for its giraffes.

“We’re not your grandparents’ zoo anymore,” Tracey said. “This is all about species protection, habitat protection and supporting the survival of animals at home and abroad.”