Orana Wildlife Park Orana Wildlife Park News 2024

Swanson02 said:
Buried trauma: Zookeepers expose animal deaths at Orana Wildlife Park

Don't know how much weight this article holds but it doesn't bode well for the NZ Zoo scene :(
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Wow, this is terrible to read. I'm really surprised at all of this, it just got worse and worse as the article went on. This reminds me of the current Jersey Zoo situation but much worse imo. This isn't something you would expect to see from a well respected zoo like Orana.

The photos were particularly hard to see, and it was a little bit infuriating reading about some of the situations that keepers have seen unfold. The repeat mentioning of 'tragic accidents' when it came to deaths is disappointing at the very least; whilst perhaps there may be accidents now and again the fact that it appears they have been continuously occurring for a while goes to show the issues at hand. How in the world did Orana fail to notice one of their females was almost in labor? Obviously they hadn't even prepared the outdoor enclosure for a baby giraffe as she had somehow ended up in the nearby Rhino enclosure, injuring herself doing so.

Mahali's passing and the events that surrounded it were also devastating to read. It seems so much could have been done to save him. The fact that an ultrasound was only conducted two weeks after he had fallen ill is beyond a joke. And by that point, they had left to late. The lack of any treatment was also disturbing to read. It's very sad to know he would have been in terrible pain in his final days.

The situation with the hoof stock was also very disturbing to read. If you have worked with hoof stock before you would know they are all incredibly flighty. Moving them across areas can pose a variety of risks. It only takes one unexpected sound to spook them. Ruling the male Nyala a very 'nervous animal' as a result is hilarious, and stating it to be a 'unique situation' is laughable when the incident was far from it.

The lack of mentioning deaths was also something that stood face with me. Tuna the giraffes death was never mentioned by the zoo itself, and I was shocked to read she had passed by accidentally hanging herself. Same went for Bajak the male otter who had gotten stuck in a filtration pump, or the deaths of two female Cheetahs earlier this year after liver failure at a young age. Ruling Mabuti's death too as an 'unsurvivable condition' was also non sensical when it was everything but that.

The staffing issues and lack of adequate resources are very much a worry as well. Leaving enclosures not clean is just a recipe for disaster, and blaming that on short staffing is pretty inexcusable imo.

I'm hoping Orana are able to flip over a new page after this and change for the better. Changing the internal culture would be a good start as there also appears to be things significantly wrong in that department as well. It would be a shame if they continued on this downhill trajectory.
 
As someone who has no links to Orana, nor to it's whistleblowers, may I just caution against taking a media expose at face value?

There are at least three investigations into this story that I am aware of - let's wait until we get some independent results from them before damning the place.

As some of you will remember, the DDZ faced similar sensational publicity in it's early days. All of that publicity was created by three zoos on Queensland's coast who saw us as being unwanted competition. None of the sensational claims were true - as was confirmed by investigations by the government and the RSPCA. In fact the RSPCA investigator publicly stated that "I wish private pet owners kept their pets as well as this zoo keeps it's animals".

ARAZPA [at the time] sent two people to investigate - although we weren't members at the time. Those two people were two of the three that made the false claims in the first place! Go figure.

Interestingly, none of those three people are still in the zoo world - two having subsequently been drummed out and one squeezed out. The Darling Downs Zoo is still here!

The claims against Orana are, similarly, being made by people with an axe to grind and may yet prove to be just as false so please wait for the outcomes of the investigations.
 
The Ministry for Primary Industries has cleared Orana of any claims of neglect during their ongoing investigation following the emotionally charged article above. This first part of the review included the staff and although the zoo has six vacancies, there are enough staff to provide an acceptable standard of care. The next step is checking their animal records. MPI will now audit Orana every three months instead of annually: The Press
 
Kiwi update:

From socials:

Tomorrow, 30 July, our kiwi house will be closed for two days as we introduce two new kiwi to the facility and transfer the current birds out.

The new birds are, Paddle (Orana hatched) and Waru (who arrived recently from The National Kiwi Hatchery), they are both around 1 year old. They will be slowly transitioned into the nocturnal house and it may take them a few days to explore their new environment.

Our two departing kiwi (Frosty and Jellybean) have a breeding recommendation and they will move to our kiwi breeding unit where we have hopes for the pitter patter of kiwi feet in the coming season.
 
Siamang birth:

From socials:

New parents, Suka and Basuki, recently welcomed their first baby and are all doing well. Since the tiny bundle of joy arrived, Suka has been a very attentive and caring partner bringing food to Basuki, grooming her and also giving her space when she needs it.

Suka arrived at Orana from Pairi Daiza Zoo in Belgium in July 2023 as part of the managed conservation programme for these stunning simians. He is a new founder animal for the Australasian region introducing new genetics to our population.

This is the first Siamang birth at Orana since Basuki was born in April 2014.
 
Cape porcupine birth (first at Orana since 2007):

From socials:

A massive Happy Father's Day to all the amazing Father's and Father figures. Today we bring you our final Dad spotlight post for Bruce. Bruce our delightful porcupine, who is paired with Kali, they recently welcomed two adorable porcupettes. The first porcupine to be born at Orana since 2007.
 
New female Cheetah:

Orana Wildlife Park imported two female Cheetah (Zahara and Nyasa) from Taronga Western Plains Zoo last year, bringing the park’s Cheetah population to 3.2 Cheetah:

1.0 Matata (28/10/2014) Gizmo x Mazza
1.0 Gorse (28/10/2014) Gizmo x Mazza
1.0 Quantro (16/11/2015) Imported 2016 (South Africa)
0.1 Zahara (20/10/2016) Jana x Kyan
0.1 Nyasa (20/10/2016) Jana x Kyan

I saw them on my June visit, but needed to follow up which individuals they were. This is a photo of one of them I took on my visit:

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The Siamang infant has been sexed as a female:

From socials:

We are delighted to announce the baby is a girl and she has been named Berani, which means bold, brave, fearless or courageous in Malay. She is definitely all of those things when she clings on to Mum while she flies across the ropes at speed!
 
Other 2024 News:
On January 21st, it was announced that 7 blue ducks which were released into the wild.

Orana Wildlife Park

On January 25th, the zoo announced that a (1.0) alpaca was born which is on exhibit. It was later named Ernie.

8.6K views · 243 reactions | Peek-a-boo, we see you! On Monday our farmyard expanded with the arrival of Calista the alpaca’s cria. The team have confirmed it is a male, both Mum and... | By Orana Wildlife Park | Facebook

On February 20th, the zoo announced that another alpaca named Wee Atlas was born which is on exhibit.

9.7K views · 193 reactions | Have you seen our new alpaca cria Wee Atlas(black) arrived to give Ernie (white) a playmate. They have been delighting our visitors since they arrived.... | By Orana Wildlife Park | Facebook

On February 29th, the zoo announced that a (0.1) Kunekune pig named Lily passed away.

Orana Wildlife Park

On April 10th, the zoo announced they acquired a (0.1) Kunekune pig which is on exhibit. It was later named Tilly.

71K views · 617 reactions | We have a new addition to the farmyard This little lady arrived at the Park today and was quickly showing Gavin and Winston who’s boss. For the... | By Orana Wildlife Park | Facebook
4.1K views · 68 reactions | Who’s the noisiest eater in your house? At the moment it is definitely this little lady! Our newest kunekune now has a name Tilly Sound on only if... | By Orana Wildlife Park | Facebook
WhistlingKite24 said:
A first for Orana. Two (1.1) Nyala calves have been born: Log into Facebook | Facebook
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On May 21st, the zoo announced that the (1.0) nyala was named Stew.

Orana Wildlife Park

On November 1st, the zoo announced they moved their common ostriches to the exhibit opposite The Great Apes Centre.

1.2K views · 30 reactions | ❓FUN FACT FRIDAY❓ Ostriches are the largest birds in the world, males can be up to 2.8 meters tall and weigh up to 145 kg. Resident ostrich’s Mojo... | By Orana Wildlife Park | Facebook
 
Orana Wildlife Park update:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DDIyD6utTho/?igsh=cmdxZGQ1azByb204
The following deaths have unfortunately been announced on socials; as well as some hatchings:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DDIyD6utTho/?igsh=cmdxZGQ1azByb204
Mischief (20) the llama (cancer) and Effy (12) the sheep (old age health issues) were much loved as thousands of visitors met these animals in our Farmyard over many years.

Belize (35) our elderly spider monkey had an incurable tumour.

Tama (15) the gracious lioness passed from a brain haemorrhage.

Toba (7) the senior Tasmanian devil suffered heart failure.

Boris (1½) the addax experienced respiratory complications.

All of these beloved animals were under treatment plans in consultation with our vet.

We do want to share some positive news with you too. Two delightful whio ducklings hatched and will be released to the wild once mature. Our first fertile kiwi egg of the season is being incubated by male, Manawa. Siamang pair Basuki and Suka have their hands full with their very active delightful baby, Berani.
 
Orana investigation update:

Article on recommendations following the investigation into Orana Wildlife Park (full article in link):

Investigation into Orana Wildlife Park released

Orana Wildlife Park will stop taking new animals for the next six months while staff work on changes recommended by two reviews prompted by whistleblowers' welfare concerns and allegations of a toxic culture at the Christchurch zoo.

The ZAA also recommended:

Orana Wildlife Park provide an "animal welfare accreditation plan" to the zoo association

Budget planning and policy reviews for improved asset management, maintenance and site safety planning

A full review of the organisation's culture including an independent governance review
 
I visited Orana today for an express loop around. A solid facility with some of the best ungulate exhibits I have seen. Waterbucks running around in long marshy grass as they splashed around the pond was an incredible sight. A few newsy /observational bits and pieces:
  • the newts have been replaced by a community tank with White Cloud Mountain Minnow, Bronze Corydoras and Honey Gourami.
  • Brown Tree Frog is also in the frog house as well with the native frogs (not seen), bell frogs and axolotls.
  • Starred Geckos, Naultinus stellatus were an unexpected highlight in the jam-packed reptile house with lots of wonderful native geckos and skinks. Probably my favourite NZ reptile I have come across besides Tuatara of course.
  • Lace Monitors are off-show as they have outgrown their enclosure and the zoo needs to build a new enclosure.
  • Springbok are still hanging on.
  • the Siamang infant is gaining independence quickly and spending more time off the female.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Cape porcupine birth (first at Orana since 2007):

From socials:

A massive Happy Father's Day to all the amazing Father's and Father figures. Today we bring you our final Dad spotlight post for Bruce. Bruce our delightful porcupine, who is paired with Kali, they recently welcomed two adorable porcupettes. The first porcupine to be born at Orana since 2007.
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Cape porcupine porcupettes sexed as 2.0 and named:

From socials:

Have you managed to spot the porcupette duo? These boys are very shy but are becoming a little braver in the late afternoon when the Park is quieter.

They have both grown a lot, with Kahari taking after Mum as he is the bigger of the two, Asari is quite small like his Dad.
 
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