Hamilton Zoo Hamilton Zoo News 2022
- Thread starter Zoofan15
- Start date
African wild dog pregnancy:
Awesome news! This will hopefully be the first successful birth of this species in a New Zealand zoo since 2008!!!
From social media:
The carnivore team are busy preparing Itanya and Romeo’s enclosure for the arrival of the pups. There are whelping areas for Itanya to help her feel comfortable and secure. Our Zoo likes to provide choice for our animals, so Itanya will have the opportunity to give birth where she chooses.
But there is a high mortality rate for African Wild Dog pups, there is a high chance the litter may not be successful, especially for first time mothers. We will however provide her with everything she needs to have a successful birth.
In 2019, Itanya was brought over from Monarto Zoo in South Australia as part of the regional breeding programme for this endangered species. She was paired with her mate Romeo, who came to Hamilton from Port Lympne Zoo in the UK.
Awesome news! This will hopefully be the first successful birth of this species in a New Zealand zoo since 2008!!!
From social media:
The carnivore team are busy preparing Itanya and Romeo’s enclosure for the arrival of the pups. There are whelping areas for Itanya to help her feel comfortable and secure. Our Zoo likes to provide choice for our animals, so Itanya will have the opportunity to give birth where she chooses.
But there is a high mortality rate for African Wild Dog pups, there is a high chance the litter may not be successful, especially for first time mothers. We will however provide her with everything she needs to have a successful birth.
In 2019, Itanya was brought over from Monarto Zoo in South Australia as part of the regional breeding programme for this endangered species. She was paired with her mate Romeo, who came to Hamilton from Port Lympne Zoo in the UK.
I’m surprised Hamilton Zoo have announced the pregnancy. It’s refreshingly open of them and makes me wonder if this is indeed a second pregnancy - as they themselves note the mortality rate is higher first time around.
It’s also possible the zoo are unsure themselves if a birth occurred the first time around. If the pups were stillborn, there’s a high chance they were cannibalised soon after and the keepers would have had no inkling a birth had occurred.
Just never had breeding success. Wellington holds only ambassador Servels; and Auckland have a pair, which haven't bred yet to to date; although they did encounter some breeding success with a different pair in the early 2000's.
Hamilton's Fishing Cats have just never breed for some reason or another. They have one male and two females; the male being imported from Europe back in 2017. Their enclosures where close off recently and there was hopes (among us zoochatters), that it would give them the privacy to breed but apparently this has never eventuated.
Hamilton Zoo have struggled to breed Fishing cat for a number of years. Their first pair, imported in 2009 consisted of a female at the end of her reproductive lifespan and due to incompatibility between the pair, AI was attempted without success. Following the deaths of theses cats, they imported 1.2 young Fishing cats, which should have given them the best chance of success. They’re getting on in years now and I have little hope considering how long they’ve been trying.
Only two zoo have bred Serval in recent years. Wellington Zoo bred a handful of kittens and were subsequently happy to maintain non breeding pairs. After breeding 1.0 in 2001 and 2.1 in 2004, Auckland Zoo attempted to breed from a 10 year old female in 2008, which resulted in stillborn kittens, which had to be removed via caesarean. They tried unsuccessfully to breed from their current pair, prior to the death of the male last year, but the kittens died each time. They had three unsuccessful litters.
I talked to one of the carnivore keepers last year and he said they have been given a breeding indication for one of the females (furtherist from the chimps) but whoever manages the species in our region has not given the green light. Apparently the male is also quite aggressive.
I assume they were previously trying to breed the male with the other female as in 2020, a keeper told me they were hoping the privacy from the zoo being in lockdown would lead to successful breeding.
Either way, it’s frustrating species management has delayed introductions between this pair until now. They arrived at the zoo when they were in their prime and several years have now been wasted.
Male aggression is common in many small cat species and may complicate attempts to introduce them.
This article gives an interesting overview of the (unsuccessful) AI attempt in 2011 with their 12 year old female: https://www.matamatavets.co.nz/wp-content/themes/mvs-mobile/docs/Use of ART's with exotic species Blackbucks, Siamongs and Thai Fishing Cats.pdf
Do you know who manages the species at the regional level?
The fishing cats in Australasia are managed under an EEP for the species so through a programme coordinator in Europe. According to recent EAZA publications the fishing cats are managed by someone at Zoo Decin, Czech Republic.
Right. Just that makes no sense. Introduce the pairs when and if female in season only. Takes some well seasoned staff in husbandry. And the import of more founders from abroad.
It’d be good if Hamilton Zoo had been able to import more founders, but in this case they were limited by the number of exhibits they had (three). Melbourne Zoo in the late 20th century were an example of how to run a successful breeding programme (for Temminck’s golden cat) with five plus exhibits and multiple males and females.
Hamilton’s current male is their second male and both have been aggressive. Personally I think more care needs to be taken in identifying a socially well adjusted male prior to export to his New Zealand, which is about as far as any of the cats in the European programme will ever go.
Exactly, what I meant. Why cannot we do this for smaller felids where this is common practice with cheetah ... and other much larger felid species.
It is indeed frustrating. It seems many zoos across the region are reluctant to designate multiple exhibits for a species based on the fact that doing so will bring in no more visitors than a single ambassador animal of that species would.
Melbourne Zoo probably illustrate this trend best of all. They once had multiple exhibits for several small cat species including Temminck's golden cat and !eopard cat and achieved astounding breeding results.
A number of zoos have similarly slimmed down their orangutan colonies - Auckland, Melbourne, Perth and Taronga all being examples.
It's disappointing, especially for species that are endangered or critically endangered.
Hamilton has five exhibits, with two off display which are larger directly behind the three public displays. There seems to be a rotation with the females and the male rotating who is off and on display.
That’s interesting. I’d always assumed the infrastructure out back was merely an extension to the three on display exhibits; but it also explains why you never see anything in the three on display exhibits, if two can be held in the off display exhibits at any one time.
Breeding success with Temminck’s golden cat at Auckland and Melbourne Zoo has previously been achieved by keeping the breeding pair off display.
Therefore the logical way to proceed is keep the 1.1 breeding pair in the off display exhibits and give the remaining 0.1 the run of the on display exhibits.
I took this rear view photo of the Fishing cat exhibits following the lockdown in 2020:
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That's an excellent view. I'm 90% sure they're separated (or separatable) from the on-displays, I have never noticed them having free access between the two. Quite often you see the female in the enclosure closest to the chimps pacing to get back into her on-display enclosure when in the off-display (or trying to get a keepers attention).
I'm not 100% sure that the back enclosure is actually two separated off-display areas or if it is one large off-display, it looks like two but it is difficult to see the side furthest from the chimps.
My guess is they are currently alternating the two females in separate off-displays, and then the male in the off-display closest to the chimps. When I was there a few weeks ago there was a lot of calling between the male and female furthest from the Chimps.
I'm not 100% sure that the back enclosure is actually two separated off-display areas or if it is one large off-display, it looks like two but it is difficult to see the side furthest from the chimps.
My guess is they are currently alternating the two females in separate off-displays, and then the male in the off-display closest to the chimps. When I was there a few weeks ago there was a lot of calling between the male and female furthest from the Chimps.
Lowland nyala are now on display:
18 months after they arrived at the zoo…
Our three males were born at Auckland Zoo in 2018 and after arriving here and some time off-display we finally get to show them off to everyone in their new home beside the Cheetah enclosure.
Unlike most antelope species they are very relaxed and friendly and you may even see them following our keepers around quite closely.
Our two larger males are Barry (with a yellow ear tag) and Bernie (with a green ear tag). Our smaller male with slightly wonky horns is called Makalo.
18 months after they arrived at the zoo…
Our three males were born at Auckland Zoo in 2018 and after arriving here and some time off-display we finally get to show them off to everyone in their new home beside the Cheetah enclosure.
Unlike most antelope species they are very relaxed and friendly and you may even see them following our keepers around quite closely.
Our two larger males are Barry (with a yellow ear tag) and Bernie (with a green ear tag). Our smaller male with slightly wonky horns is called Makalo.
African wild dog dies after delivering stillborn pups:
Some sad news from Hamilton Zoo. Their breeding female wild dog delivered a litter of stillborn pups, before passing away herself. It’s another devastating set back for the zoo, who’ve tried without success to breed this species for over a decade; following the initial success they experienced in the 2000’s.
From socials:
Recently we shared the news that our beautiful African Wild Dog Itanya was expecting pups. Today, sadly our team announce the devastating news that the pups did not survive and tragically, Itanya has passed away as well.
Itanya was assessed by the vet after she delivered the stillborn pups and when checked by her keepers on Tuesday afternoon, she appeared to be fine. Yesterday the team were shocked to find her body and we now await the results of the cause of death.
We are putting plans in place for Itanya’s mate Romeo so he won’t be on his own. Itanya was much loved and will be missed greatly.
Some sad news from Hamilton Zoo. Their breeding female wild dog delivered a litter of stillborn pups, before passing away herself. It’s another devastating set back for the zoo, who’ve tried without success to breed this species for over a decade; following the initial success they experienced in the 2000’s.
From socials:
Recently we shared the news that our beautiful African Wild Dog Itanya was expecting pups. Today, sadly our team announce the devastating news that the pups did not survive and tragically, Itanya has passed away as well.
Itanya was assessed by the vet after she delivered the stillborn pups and when checked by her keepers on Tuesday afternoon, she appeared to be fine. Yesterday the team were shocked to find her body and we now await the results of the cause of death.
We are putting plans in place for Itanya’s mate Romeo so he won’t be on his own. Itanya was much loved and will be missed greatly.
I was just at the zoo today and noted the enclosure was empty, but figured it might be good news. That is a huge loss and it will be a wonder if Hamilton doesn't phase out the species, given their horrible run of luck.
Presumably Romeo can be reintroduced to the two other animals?