Wellington Zoo Wellington Zoo News 2019

[WhistlingKite24]

I came across Wellington Zoo's recent annual report (2018-2019). It's quite detailed so I thought I'd share the key points that I don't think have been mentioned already.
https://wellingtonzoo.com/assets/Resources/Annual-Report-2019-FINAL-compressed3.pdf
- The zoo will commence introductions (protected contact) between their two Sumatran tigers soon. Hopefully they'll have breeding success.
-Wellington Zoo received a male Cotton-top Tamarin (Soto) from Singapore Zoo. He will/has been paired with their female, Celeste.
-The zoo was successful in mating Goliath Bird-eating Tarantulas however the female destroyed both egg sacs. They will continue breeding attempts next year.
-They hope to breed from their Dingoes when they are older (which arrived in November 2018).
-Some of their recently-born Nyala will move to Gibbs Wildlife Conservancy (Keystone).
-Recent deaths mentioned briefly include an Ostrich, a male Dingo, two Servals, a Spider Monkey and two Tasmanian Devils.

 

[Chlidonias]

-Recent deaths mentioned briefly include an Ostrich, a male Dingo, two Servals, a Spider Monkey and two Tasmanian Devils.

I'm suspecting that might be one of their odd Spider Monkeys, but unfortunately they didn't specify in the report. The zoo had two female Variegated (Brown) Spider Monkeys and two female hybrids (as well as their Geoffroy's Spider Monkeys). All four of those odd females will be really old now - and I don't know how many of them are even still alive.

 

[Zoofan15]

Does anyone know what Serval Wellington Zoo currently has, following the two deaths mentioned above? Last I heard, they had the parents Kijana and Nkeru; and their handraised offspring, Tunde and Shanti (born 09/09/2006).

They haven’t been mentioned in years, but there was also Uzuri (a littermate of Tunde and Shanti); and a single female kitten named Kali (born 14/12/2006), who was mother raised. I assume these cats either died young or were exported.

Edit: Kali is alive and well at Adelaide Zoo, where she has produced four litters of kittens.

 

[Chlidonias]

Does anyone know what Serval Wellington Zoo currently has, following the two deaths mentioned above? Last I heard, they had the parents Kijana and Nkeru; and their handraised offspring, Tunde and Shanti (born 09/09/2006).

Those are the four animals still listed on the zoo's website. I imagine the two still on display are the younger animals.

 

[Chlidonias]

Some bits and pieces from a visit to the zoo this morning:

The tanks for Shingleback Skink (in the old elephant house) and Otago Skinks (in the NZ section) are both completely empty - the former has a sign saying something like "Animals Coming Soon", while the latter has a sign saying that the lizards are being introduced to a new arrival. However both tanks are actually empty empty, as in no substrate or anything else. I haven't seen a Shingleback at the zoo since around the middle of the year, so I don't think they have them at all any more.

At the zoo today, the Shingleback tank is still completely empty. However I was looking at the zoo's "Meet The Animals" page on their website yesterday, and it says that they still have two of them, but they are basically off-display (in the room they use for school groups etc).

The enclosure for Capybaras at the entrance has an "Animals Back Soon" sign, as it has done for a while. I think the Capybaras which were in here are the five males which were exported to Taronga a couple of months ago. I'd guess it will remain empty until the current crop of Capybara babies are old enough to be split off here.

This enclosure (the first one as you enter the zoo, opposite the otters) has been boarded up across the front. Not sure what's going on there.

In another change at the zoo, there is a little patch of land next to the African Savannah (if you are standing with your back to the Meerkats, facing the Savannah, this area is to your left) which I think was vehicle access to the Savannah. It always has had a little gate across it and sometimes has trailers and things sitting in it. Anyway, it has had fences added and now has two female Ostriches inside. No idea if it is a permanent separation of the birds from the Savannah or temporary.

 

[Zoofan15]

Those are the four animals still listed on the zoo's website. I imagine the two still on display are the younger animals.

Do you know how old Kijana and Nkeru are, or what zoos they came from? I thought Nkeru was from Auckland for some reason; but I believe I was getting her confused with Ngozi (born 2004), who was sent to Darling Downs Zoo in 2013.

 

[Chlidonias]

Do you know how old Kijana and Nkeru are, or what zoos they came from? I thought Nkeru was from Auckland for some reason; but I believe I was getting her confused with Ngozi (born 2004), who was sent to Darling Downs Zoo in 2013.

Not really. The male (Kijana) must be the one in the following article from May 2005, imported from Bester Birds and Animal Park in South Africa (Six Meerkat and Serval Arrive Today | Scoop News). Part of the article says "the male Serval is a unique addition to the Zoo family where it is the first of its species to live at the Zoo since Naxos, the oldest known Serval in captivity, died in 2003."

The hand-raised triplets (Tunde, Shanti, Uzuri) were born on 09 September 2006, so the female Nkeru must have also been obtained in 2005 or early 2006.