Wellington Zoo Wellington Zoo News 2024

Per my visit to Wellington Zoo today, the zoo has a new animal; a North Island Weka. The left half of the enclosure that is shown in this photograph by Chlidonias is where the Weka is kept; now only the right half houses Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur.

Ruffed Lemur enclosure - ZooChat

For enrichment, the Weka had a cardboard box full of grass with scraps of meat mixed in, not far from one of the viewing windows. This meant that the Weka was easy to see, despite being in an enclosure that seems enormous for a single not-especially-large flightless bird. Signage states that this Weka came from a facility that has closed down but provides no further details.

Today I was also informed that the situation for Kea at Wellington Zoo has sadly not changed much. Only one Kea is on display in the species' walk-through aviary; the other two surviving Kea remain off-display in veterinary care at The Nest.
 
Cassidy Casuar said:
Per my visit to Wellington Zoo today, the zoo has a new animal; a North Island Weka. The left half of the enclosure that is shown in this photograph by Chlidonias is where the Weka is kept; now only the right half houses Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur.

Ruffed Lemur enclosure - ZooChat
Click to expand...
That divided cage previously had Servals on the left and Caracals on the right. Since the Ruffed Lemurs moved in there in June 2023 they have only been kept on the right side, as far as I have seen - the left side has just had a picture of a lemur on the glass and a sign saying something about it being prepared for them. So the Weka is actually the first animal kept in that side since the Servals.
 
When I went today I was told that one of the tigers (I think Senja but not 100% sure) was taken to the vet for a procedure. Not heard any update on the Instagram account yet regarding what was wrong or how it went. Hopefully she's fine!

The spider monkeys were also off-show and staff were doing some sort of renovations to their enclosure.
 
Hope it's okay to repost this here from the Australasian Sumatran tiger population thread, an update on Senja:

Zoofan15 said:
Wellington Zoo - Senja Health Check/Contraceptive Implant

From socials:

Massey University has been busy developing a collar that can be safely and comfortably worn by an animal while collecting all sorts of data about their movements, including when and where they sit, stand, sleep, eat, and loads more.

Yesterday, Senja the Tiger was placed under general anaesthetic so our Vet team could carry out a full body health check before fitting the collar. The plan was for her to wear the collar for two weeks, sending thousands of pieces of data to receivers at Massey for analysis.

However, Senja has a mind of her own and after spending a few hours in the collar, decided she didn’t like it and removed it. The option for self-removal was built into the collar’s welfare-focused design to ensure that Senja could make a choice about whether or not to participate.

Despite the research not going to plan, our Vet team was still able to carry out a full health check including x-rays and bloodwork. Because Senja is an ageing animal, health checks like these are an essential part of her care and welfare.

After the health checks were complete, the team placed Senja’s contraceptive implant. This implant will manage her hormonal cycles over the coming months and help to maintain a peaceful relationship between her and Bashii as they live in neighboring habitats but aren’t breeding.

1.0 Bashi (04/12/2007) Imported 2008
0.1 Senja (21/08/2010) Lari x Soraya
Click to expand...
 
Ring-tailed lemur birth:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAHxU-tP3BP/?igsh=MXM5anhiaGlra2JrMQ==
Zeus has now sired 16 offspring to Wellington Zoo’s four female Ring-tailed lemurs.

Reported on socials:

Our Keepers were met with a surprise last month when they noticed that Mawusi, one of the female Ring-Tailed Lemurs, was showing signs of pregnancy. Mawusi was monitored closely as her due date approached, and on Tuesday night she safely delivered her third set of twins. ‍‍

Although Zeus was fitted with a contraceptive implant earlier this year, our Animal Care team suspected that it hadn’t properly taken effect when they observed Zeus showing a lot of interest in some of the females during breeding season. This wouldn’t typically happen if the contraceptive implant was operating properly. After this behavior was observed, our Keepers separated Zeus from the females for the rest of the breeding season.

We aren’t expecting any more babies at this stage, but our Keepers will keep a close eye on some of the other females that have shown signs of mating – with Zeus in the picture, you never know!
 
A few bits and pieces from Wellington Zoo’s annual report 2023-2024.

Annual report: https://wellingtonzoo.com/assets/Resources/011024-Annual-Report-2024-FINAL-1.pdf
  • 279,656 visitors visited Wellington Zoo during the reporting period – a record for the zoo.
  • the zoo has now released a very clear image of their 20-year masterplan. Focus areas for redevelopment include much the same shown last year; the savannah area, lion enclosure, Tasmanian devils, gibbon island with ‘small deer’ and the spider monkey with capybara and agouti.
  • Aelina, the spider monkey infant is still being monitored after the breeding female died of an aneurysm. She has been introduced to older female Florita with whom she has bonded. She also lives with another monkey Winnie currently. They hope the infant will be reintroduced to the entire troop in the coming year.
  • animal deaths included three Pygmy Marmosets (Tito, Mishki and Tunche), a Little Penguin due to a paralysed leg, two Capybara (Pepe and Amelia), two Kea and a pig.
  • animal transfers out included three Pygmy Marmosets to Natureland, five Tuatara to Willowbank, six Goliath Stick Insect to Otago Museum, a Grand Skink to a private holder and two Ngahere Geckos to Lochmara Lodge.
  • animal transfers in included two Tuatara from Zealandia and 18 Whitaker’s Skink including nine young from two private organisations being a new project in association with the Department of Conservation.
  • a female Brazilian Agouti was born among the already-reported lemur and green gecko births.
Masterplan:
upload_2024-10-1_18-27-55.png
 

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WhistlingKite24 said:
A few bits and pieces from Wellington Zoo’s annual report 2023-2024.

Annual report: https://wellingtonzoo.com/assets/Resources/011024-Annual-Report-2024-FINAL-1.pdf
  • 279,656 visitors visited Wellington Zoo during the reporting period – a record for the zoo.
  • the zoo has now released a very clear image of their 20-year masterplan. Focus areas for redevelopment include much the same shown last year; the savannah area, lion enclosure, Tasmanian devils, gibbon island with ‘small deer’ and the spider monkey with capybara and agouti.
  • Aelina, the spider monkey infant is still being monitored after the breeding female died of an aneurysm. She has been introduced to older female Florita with whom she has bonded. She also lives with another monkey Winnie currently. They hope the infant will be reintroduced to the entire troop in the coming year.
  • animal deaths included three Pygmy Marmosets (Tito, Mishki and Tunche), a Little Penguin due to a paralysed leg, two Capybara (Pepe and Amelia), two Kea and a pig.
  • animal transfers out included three Pygmy Marmosets to Natureland, five Tuatara to Willowbank, six Goliath Stick Insect to Otago Museum, a Grand Skink to a private holder and two Ngahere Geckos to Lochmara Lodge.
  • animal transfers in included two Tuatara from Zealandia and 18 Whitaker’s Skink including nine young from two private organisations being a new project in association with the Department of Conservation.
  • a female Brazilian Agouti was born among the already-reported lemur and green gecko births.
Masterplan:
View attachment 734694
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing. :)

Pepe was the zoo’s breeding male Capybara and the founder females are now deceased; so this leaves the zoo with just his first generation daughters.

I’m really excited to see the new lion habitat, which will hopefully allow the zoo to bring in females and breed.
 
Update on Kea:

From socials:

Good news for the Kea at Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo!

In August, Te Anau was returned to her home in the Kea Aviary after spending several weeks at Te Kōhanga being treated for exposure to aspergillosis. Her weight is holding steady, she’s exploring her habitat more, and engaging with enrichment consistently.

Murray and Fern are still being cared for at Te Kōhanga, but they’re doing amazingly well! Both birds are thriving in hospital and are bright, active and very playful. A recent CT scan confirmed that the severe lesions in Fern’s lungs have resolved, but there are still some changes in one of her air sacs that could be a mild infection, or just old scarring.

Murray’s lungs are also on the mend, but he still has a small, infected lesion in his left lung. At this stage, our Vet team plan to continue treatment for Murray and Fern for at least another month before running another CT scan. Before we stop medicating the Kea, we have to be completely sure that all the lesions in their lungs have resolved.
 
Adélie penguin arrives:

A first for the zoo!

From socials:

Well, this is a first! Over the weekend this Adélie Penguin was found on Petone Beach by a Department of Conservation ranger and brought to Te Kōhanga The Nest for a health check.

This feisty girl was spotted on an off-leash dog walking area of the beach, where she could have been at significant risk from curious or excitable pets.

For the time being, this gorgeous Adélie is staying in quarantine at Te Kōhanga due to the risk of new Antarctic pathogens that she could have brought in with her. Naturally, she isn’t thrilled to be so far from home and our Team at Te Kōhanga is doing an amazing job of keeping her calm and cool.

When she’s ready, our Vet team will carry out a full health check and develop a plan for treating her and getting her safely home.
 
Adélie Penguin Update:

From socials:

Yesterday our Vet team carried out a full body health check on this far-from-home patient. The health check included x-rays, blood work, and a gastroscopy, where our Vets sent a tube with a camera attached to the tip down the bird’s esophagus to examine their digestive tract.

As an extra precaution, our team also took some samples from the Adélie to test for avian influenza. To ensure the rest of the patients at Te Kōhanga are safe, the patient will continue to stay in quarantine until our Vet team gets results from these tests.

Bonus! As this Adélie was recovering from anaesthetic, our community watching the procedure got to hear her little snores through our Vet’s microphone!

The initial results of the tests run on this patient are reassuring, showing no signs of illness or injury. Our team at Te Kōhanga are working closely with @docgovtnz to arrange a release plan for this precious Penguin, and hopefully they’ll be ready to head back into the wild very soon. Watch this space!

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Refer to the zoo’s socials page for photos.
 
Adelie penguin nearing release:

From socials:

The gorgeous Adélie Pengiun that arrived on Wellington’s shores a couple weeks ago is almost ready to head home.

After her successful health check at Te Kōhanga The Nest, and negative test for avian influenza, the Adélie was moved to our salt-water pool to practice her swimming and ensure her feathers are fully waterproof.

Over the next couple days, our Vet team will continue feeding her and giving her time to practice her swimming. She is now at her goal weight of 5kg, meaning she’ll have plenty of energy reserves for her journey.

All going well, this Adélie should be ready for release at the end of the week!
 
Zoofan15 said:
Adelie penguin nearing release:

From socials:

The gorgeous Adélie Pengiun that arrived on Wellington’s shores a couple weeks ago is almost ready to head home.

After her successful health check at Te Kōhanga The Nest, and negative test for avian influenza, the Adélie was moved to our salt-water pool to practice her swimming and ensure her feathers are fully waterproof.

Over the next couple days, our Vet team will continue feeding her and giving her time to practice her swimming. She is now at her goal weight of 5kg, meaning she’ll have plenty of energy reserves for her journey.

All going well, this Adélie should be ready for release at the end of the week!
Click to expand...
An important bit missing from that, in case any locals were about to head there:

She isn’t visible to our community at the moment, and keeping the blinds closed on the salt-water pool windows has helped her to feel safe and calm.
....
All going well, this Adélie should be ready for release at the end of the week!
 
2 Pieces of October 2024 News Worth Mentioning:
WhistlingKite24 said:
animal deaths included three Pygmy Marmosets (Tito, Mishki and Tunche), a Little Penguin due to a paralysed leg, two Capybara (Pepe and Amelia), two Kea and a pig.
Click to expand...

On October 8th, the zoo officially announced that a (1.0) Kunekune pig named Ātanga passed away due to chronic tooth decay.

Wellington Zoo Te Nukuao

On October 10th, the zoo announced they moved their Asian small-clawed otters off display for a few months to build a new den and refresh the exhibit.

Otter Habitat Refresh | Come visit the Otter whānau these holidays before they go off display for the next few months! Beginning next week, the Otters we care for will be off... | By Wellington Zoo Te Nukuao | Facebook

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On October 29th, the zoo announced they acquired a (1.0) little blue penguin named Aroha after an unsuccessful release into the wild which is now on exhibit.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1129264951882515
 
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