Auckland Zoo Auckland Zoo News 2024
- Thread starter ApeLadyNZ
- Start date
Thanks for the update. It wouldn’t surprise me if the move has been pushed back to mid to late November (previously scheduled for early November) as the barn at Monarto looked a way off completion in recent photos.
Additionally, giving the public a final notice period of a month seems reasonable and would ensure crowds are staggered over the coming weeks; as opposed to the zoo being swamped by people panicking because she’s leaving in two weeks and they haven’t yet made their final visit.
Causticjay
Member
I hope you're right, I really hope I get to see her again when I visit in mid November! I don't have Facebook so didn't hear there was an announcement coming, I'll have to keep an eye out here.
Luke899
Well-Known Member
You wouldn't have known lol, I only know bc I'm impatient and hopped into Auckland Zoos DM's asking. End of this week they will post about Burma.
Five Brown teal have hatched:
From socials:
We’ve got some exciting news! Five pāteke (brown teal) ducklings hatched at the Zoo a few weeks ago, and they’re already full of energy. They're growing fast under the watchful care of their mum and have quickly taken to their swimming lessons.
At eight weeks old, these ducklings will head to Chritchurch's Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust, where they'll join other young pāteke and prepare for life in the wild. For now, you can spot them in Te Wao Nui a Tāne / The Forest.
From socials:
We’ve got some exciting news! Five pāteke (brown teal) ducklings hatched at the Zoo a few weeks ago, and they’re already full of energy. They're growing fast under the watchful care of their mum and have quickly taken to their swimming lessons.
At eight weeks old, these ducklings will head to Chritchurch's Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust, where they'll join other young pāteke and prepare for life in the wild. For now, you can spot them in Te Wao Nui a Tāne / The Forest.
Tasmanian devils named:
Introducing Wiri and Wayana! | Auckland Zoo News
From socials:
These purinina/Tasmanian devil females now have wonderful palawa kani names – Wiri and Wayana!
Palawa kani is the language of Tasmanian Aborigines, and Wiri (‘starfish’) and Wayana (‘shark’) enable us to honour the heritage of these unique marsupials. These names also reflect the Oceania theme that Cressy Wildlife Facility chose for naming devils born in 2022.
As a non-breeding group, male Nita and the females are in separate areas but have the positive stimulation of being relatively close and can see, smell and communicate with each other.
Introducing Wiri and Wayana! | Auckland Zoo News
From socials:
These purinina/Tasmanian devil females now have wonderful palawa kani names – Wiri and Wayana!
Palawa kani is the language of Tasmanian Aborigines, and Wiri (‘starfish’) and Wayana (‘shark’) enable us to honour the heritage of these unique marsupials. These names also reflect the Oceania theme that Cressy Wildlife Facility chose for naming devils born in 2022.
As a non-breeding group, male Nita and the females are in separate areas but have the positive stimulation of being relatively close and can see, smell and communicate with each other.
Osedax
Well-Known Member
Before I realised purinina was a palawa kani word, I was wondering how on earth they found a Maori name for Tassie devils!
Burma leaving mid-November:
An update from Auckland Zoo that Burma is now leaving mid-November:
Elephant-sized birthday treat mouth-wateringly good | Auckland Zoo News
The team is busy continuing to prepare Burma for her November move, with ongoing crate training sessions at a range of different times and durations to get her feeling comfortable moving in and out of her crate and feeling safe and at ease inside it.
If you and your whānau are keen to see Burma before she moves before mid-November, between now and early November is your best time!
An update from Auckland Zoo that Burma is now leaving mid-November:
Elephant-sized birthday treat mouth-wateringly good | Auckland Zoo News
The team is busy continuing to prepare Burma for her November move, with ongoing crate training sessions at a range of different times and durations to get her feeling comfortable moving in and out of her crate and feeling safe and at ease inside it.
If you and your whānau are keen to see Burma before she moves before mid-November, between now and early November is your best time!
Causticjay
Member
I DMed Auckland Zoo's social media asking if they'd be releasing any more specific information on when Burma is leaving, but was told they won't be announcing the exact move date to avoid disruptions and crowds.
It’ll certainly be a momentous day and keeping specifics around her departure will ensure half the city isn’t lining Motions Road to wave her off. Overseas, protesters have impeded transfers; though in this case, she’s going from living alone at an (albeit excellent) city zoo to living in a herd at an open range zoo.
Burma’s departure will be keenly felt with the zoo heading for the busy summer holidays; but it’s fortunate the Southern white rhinoceros calf is due the month she leaves. Talk about good timing!
On that note, I’ll be interested to see how quickly they redevelop the elephant exhibit for the rhinos, presumably starting with filling in the moat.
Does anybody know what the status of moving the elephant out is? Earlier in this thread it is mentioned that she will likely leave by the end of 2024. There is a chance I may visit Auckland Zoo in January 2025...is it likely that Auckland Zoo will be officially elephant-less by then?
Unfortunately Burma will have left by January 2025. There was an update by the zoo on October 19, which advised she’ll be exported mid-November; with up until early November being the best time to see her.
You can read more about it here:
Elephant-sized birthday treat mouth-wateringly good | Auckland Zoo News
Early 2025 will still be an exciting time to visit, with a Southern white rhinoceros calf due this month; and the possibility of Greater flamingo chicks over the summer.
ApeLadyNZ
Well-Known Member
Very true. Also, the new Australian kangaroo exhibit will have opened by then, and the popular Swamp Forest will be back in operation also.
Auckland Zoo Update
Update from my visit (31/10/2024):
The zoo are potentially hoping to breed Cape porcupine. The female (Snickers) has apparently shown little interest in the male (Lawrence) to date; but the keeper I spoke to noted that a change of environment (the pair recently transferred in from Orana Wildlife Park) could spark breeding. This was the case for Bruce and Kali, who failed to breed at Auckland Zoo; but were exchanged for Lawrence and Snickers and bred almost as soon as they arrived. Mwiba (the last Cape porcupine born at Auckland Zoo) is still alive/at the zoo and lives in an off display exhibit.
The Greater flamingo chicks from last season have been sexed as 3.2 and named Doug, Salmon, Giuseppe, Summer and Mimi.
@Jambo previously noted the zoo’s otter colony was down to three males. I was able to confirm these were Agus, Hendra and Ika (brothers born 2020); meaning Budi has either died or transferred out.
Southern white rhinoceros Jamila (2012) and Amali (2022) were on exhibit in the morning. They rotate with Zambezi (1992) and Nyah (2020), who live separately from each other. Zambezi was on exhibit in the afternoon. With Jamila driving Amali away shortly before her next calf is born later this month, it seems likely the latter will soon be grouped permanently with Nyah (who is held separately from Zambezi to prevent putting her on contraception).
The Bornean orangutans were all getting along well. Bahmi (2022) is becoming increasingly independent of Melur (1988) and was antagonising Daya (2012) non-stop, hanging upside down and slapping her on the head. She ignored him for the most part, but at one stage, reached out to interact with him. Melur was very relaxed about their interactions. In previous conflicts within the colony, Melur was never the instigator and Daya similarly appears to be a friendly individual. Combined with Charlie (1981), who is gentle with the females and his infant son; and the zoo have the foundations for a successful integrated colony. Unfortunately I didn’t get chance to ask a keeper about Daya breeding; though last I heard, there were no immediate plans. If they delay breeding her until her mid-teens as has been previously suggested, it could at least tie in with Melur breeding again (2027) which would be advantageous for the infants socially.
I arrived just as the giraffes were being let out. The height difference between Kiraka (2009) and her daughter Kabili (2016) is now very noticeable. Since her birth, I’ve wondered if Kabili was a freemartin (sterile) since she’s yet to breed; which a keeper agreed was likely on my visit last year. Female giraffes typically produce their first calf at 4-5 years; whereas Kabili turns eight years old next month and remains nulliparous. Freemartinism is well documented in dairy cattle; but to my knowledge there has only been one previously documented freemartin giraffe (due to the statistically unlikely event of a giraffe giving birth to male-female twins, where the female then survives to reproductive age). This female, like Kabili, was noted to be substantially taller than the other cows. Even Kabili is dwarfed by Billy (2018), who has well and truly risen above the cows as he’s matured into an adult bull. Looking at Kiraka, it would come as no surprise to me to learn she was pregnant again. 16 months is the shortest birth interval (albeit frequently recorded with the region), which would be May 2025 if Kiraka had conceived shortly after the birth of Enzi in January 2024. Kiraka’s size would align with a mid-term pregnancy in my opinion; but I will stress this is merely an observation and should not be considered anything more than speculation.
Reptile Row remains closed after the 2023 floods.
Lots of welding work was going on at the Tropical Dome, as they work to install double doors. It’ll be great to see this building open again; as well as the Australian precinct fully open, with the addition of frilled lizards and kangaroos.
I will be posting in more detail about the Sumatran tigers, Hamadryas baboon, Burma and future developments in the respective threads.
Photos from my visit here:
Auckland Zoo - ZooChat
aaaa
Update from my visit (31/10/2024):
The zoo are potentially hoping to breed Cape porcupine. The female (Snickers) has apparently shown little interest in the male (Lawrence) to date; but the keeper I spoke to noted that a change of environment (the pair recently transferred in from Orana Wildlife Park) could spark breeding. This was the case for Bruce and Kali, who failed to breed at Auckland Zoo; but were exchanged for Lawrence and Snickers and bred almost as soon as they arrived. Mwiba (the last Cape porcupine born at Auckland Zoo) is still alive/at the zoo and lives in an off display exhibit.
The Greater flamingo chicks from last season have been sexed as 3.2 and named Doug, Salmon, Giuseppe, Summer and Mimi.
@Jambo previously noted the zoo’s otter colony was down to three males. I was able to confirm these were Agus, Hendra and Ika (brothers born 2020); meaning Budi has either died or transferred out.
Southern white rhinoceros Jamila (2012) and Amali (2022) were on exhibit in the morning. They rotate with Zambezi (1992) and Nyah (2020), who live separately from each other. Zambezi was on exhibit in the afternoon. With Jamila driving Amali away shortly before her next calf is born later this month, it seems likely the latter will soon be grouped permanently with Nyah (who is held separately from Zambezi to prevent putting her on contraception).
The Bornean orangutans were all getting along well. Bahmi (2022) is becoming increasingly independent of Melur (1988) and was antagonising Daya (2012) non-stop, hanging upside down and slapping her on the head. She ignored him for the most part, but at one stage, reached out to interact with him. Melur was very relaxed about their interactions. In previous conflicts within the colony, Melur was never the instigator and Daya similarly appears to be a friendly individual. Combined with Charlie (1981), who is gentle with the females and his infant son; and the zoo have the foundations for a successful integrated colony. Unfortunately I didn’t get chance to ask a keeper about Daya breeding; though last I heard, there were no immediate plans. If they delay breeding her until her mid-teens as has been previously suggested, it could at least tie in with Melur breeding again (2027) which would be advantageous for the infants socially.
I arrived just as the giraffes were being let out. The height difference between Kiraka (2009) and her daughter Kabili (2016) is now very noticeable. Since her birth, I’ve wondered if Kabili was a freemartin (sterile) since she’s yet to breed; which a keeper agreed was likely on my visit last year. Female giraffes typically produce their first calf at 4-5 years; whereas Kabili turns eight years old next month and remains nulliparous. Freemartinism is well documented in dairy cattle; but to my knowledge there has only been one previously documented freemartin giraffe (due to the statistically unlikely event of a giraffe giving birth to male-female twins, where the female then survives to reproductive age). This female, like Kabili, was noted to be substantially taller than the other cows. Even Kabili is dwarfed by Billy (2018), who has well and truly risen above the cows as he’s matured into an adult bull. Looking at Kiraka, it would come as no surprise to me to learn she was pregnant again. 16 months is the shortest birth interval (albeit frequently recorded with the region), which would be May 2025 if Kiraka had conceived shortly after the birth of Enzi in January 2024. Kiraka’s size would align with a mid-term pregnancy in my opinion; but I will stress this is merely an observation and should not be considered anything more than speculation.
Reptile Row remains closed after the 2023 floods.
Lots of welding work was going on at the Tropical Dome, as they work to install double doors. It’ll be great to see this building open again; as well as the Australian precinct fully open, with the addition of frilled lizards and kangaroos.
I will be posting in more detail about the Sumatran tigers, Hamadryas baboon, Burma and future developments in the respective threads.
Photos from my visit here:
Auckland Zoo - ZooChat
aaaa
ApeLadyNZ
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the updates - some very interesting developments! I'm looking forward to the birth of Jamila's calf and am happy to see the orangutan family getting on well. I did speak to one staff member a couple of weeks ago who mentioned some behind the scenes introductions had resumed through mesh of the orangutan colony and siamang pair. Daya, however, appeared singularly unimpressed with male siamang Intan, so I am not sure if any closer introductions are on the cards just yet!
I can understand the wish to delay breeding from Daya due to her youth, and the fact that Charlie still shows a stronger preference for Melur's company. Perhaps the alternate plan in the meantime is to breed from Melur again when Bahmi is a little older?
I too had noticed the reduction in the otter group. Perhaps when the remaining ageing males pass on, Auckland may look at bringing in another breeding group?
Intan the Siamang has been very vocal in display against Charlie from up in the aerial towers, so it’s not surprising the orangutans are a little unsure of him.
Due to Bahmi’s persistent approach to antagonising Daya, it may be beneficial to allow Melur to breed again first. It will teach Bahmi some boundaries around infants, which is important given the infant will be a novelty to him. Observing the birthing/raising of a neonate prior to her own birth would compound the knowledge Daya has accrued from her birthplace with younger siblings/half-siblings.
I could definitely see Auckland Zoo holding a breeding group of otter in the future. They have the largest exhibit of any New Zealand zoo and all the other facilities hold non-breeding groups, so will need more otters in years to come. Auckland’s last breeding group numbered 15 at its height!
ApeLadyNZ
Well-Known Member
Interesting you should mention Intan's displays - the siamang pair had the aerial pathways to themselves when I visited just this past Saturday, and they had climbed onto the tower above the orangutans' viewing window and were calling loudly, Intan perched on the railing and swinging around aggressively in an obvious challenge, presumably directed at Charlie. It was Melur who seemed to have the strongest reaction to this behaviour, however, growling and kiss-squeaking while cradling Bahmi (Charlie and Daya were pointedly ignoring the siamang pair). The last time I saw same-habitat introductions between orangutans and siamang (prior to Daya's arrival) Melur hurled a pinecone at Intan (missing, fortunately for him), probably partly out of protectiveness towards Bahmi and partly out of sheer annoyance!
I think you're right - it would probably do both Bahmi and Daya good to see Melur raise another infant. Melur could still comfortably breed again - if Toledo Zoo can decide to breed from her mother Yasmin, Auckland could certainly do the same with her - and it would strengthen the bonds within the colony.
For all Bahmi's antagonising of Daya, I have noticed some gentler moments of mutual grooming, sitting or reclining in the nesting baskets together, etc, indicating a growing bond. I personally think that it may be Bahmi who breeds with Daya in a few years down the track - there is a similar age gap between them to the one between Bahmi's brother Madju and his much older companion, Luna.
That’s correct. Auckland Zoo’s elephant exhibit is going to be renovated for Southern white rhinoceros. One keeper I spoke to said it could house as many as 10 rhinos. The elephant house should require only minor modifications; though due to the house opening in 1992 with a capacity of three female elephants, I imagine a minimum of one additional stable will be built to accomodate multiple groupings of rhinos.
In addition to the current rhino paddock, Auckland Zoo has a medium sized off display yard and three smaller interconnected yards (also off display), which allowed them to manage multiple groupings of rhinos. A second yard (previously used for hippos) has further increased their capacity following the expansion into the hippo area - though I believe this is predominantly used for Waterbuck and Lowland nyala.
Given the sizeable space vacated by the elephants, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them redevelop the space to manage the entire rhino population on one site; though they may well hold them across two exhibits.