Auckland Zoo Auckland Zoo News 2025

ElephasMaximus said:
Since rescues will always be readily available from the wild and little blue penguins aren't particularly endangered, perhaps another good function for captive penguin colonies could be to incubate eggs from abandoned nests in the wild and raise their chicks? This isn't to say that any and all captive breeding of little blue penguins in New Zealand should be halted, just that zoos should be thinking a little more widely about the conservation possibilities.
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Unfortunately the issue with unreleasable captive penguins is that they have disabilities which hinder their ability to hatch and rear their own chicks. Auckland Zoo noted this as their reason for hand-raising what remains their sole surviving chick to date. Few birds from their colony progressed to pairing up and laying eggs; and previous chicks had failed to survive in their parent’s care, so staff took a proactive approach and removed the eggs.

Disabilities included anything from vision issues to missing flippers and the latter in particular has been attributed to the reluctance of Auckland’s flock to enter the pool. Their struggle to swim with one flipper makes them reluctant to attempt swimming; and therefore they’re unable to build up the waterproof feathers.

While parents don’t directly teach their offspring how to swim, they play a key role by leading them down to the water etc. which is one of many roles rescued penguins may fail to fulfill, which would ultimately leave their fostered offspring ill-equipped for life in the wild.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Unfortunately the issue with unreleasable captive penguins is that they have disabilities which hinder their ability to hatch and rear their own chicks. Auckland Zoo noted this as their reason for hand-raising what remains their sole surviving chick to date. Few birds from their colony progressed to pairing up and laying eggs; and previous chicks had failed to survive in their parent’s care, so staff took a proactive approach and removed the eggs.

Disabilities included anything from vision issues to missing flippers and the latter in particular has been attributed to the reluctance of Auckland’s flock to enter the pool. Their struggle to swim with one flipper makes them reluctant to attempt swimming; and therefore they’re unable to build up the waterproof feathers.

While parents don’t directly teach their offspring how to swim, they play a key role by leading them down to the water etc. which is one of many roles rescued penguins may fail to fulfill, which would ultimately leave their fostered offspring ill-equipped for life in the wild.
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Thanks for the clarification. I guess any penguins well enough to foster would probably be distracted by their own offspring lol.
 
Zoofan15 said:
While parents don’t directly teach their offspring how to swim, they play a key role by leading them down to the water etc. which is one of many roles rescued penguins may fail to fulfill, which would ultimately leave their fostered offspring ill-equipped for life in the wild.
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This is...incorrect. Penguin chicks, of all species, naturally seek out water and actively "enjoy" swimming, regardless of being hand or parent reared. Of course I've only worked with a captive breeding colony, not wild birds, but I would assume it has something to do with the standard lifestyle of most pelagic birds to show a marked juvenile distribution from the breeding colony, largely staying out at sea until sexually mature.

Diving, bathing, preening, and capturing live prey all are instinctive behaviors that, while easily ignored by lazy captive birds (or being reluctantly done by disabled rescues, in this case) are not forgotten. All are also behaviors that young birds tend to enthusiastically partake in as well, regardless of how they might end up maturing in a captive environment.
 
Hyak_II said:
This is...incorrect. Penguin chicks, of all species, naturally seek out water and actively "enjoy" swimming, regardless of being hand or parent reared. Of course I've only worked with a captive breeding colony, not wild birds, but I would assume it has something to do with the standard lifestyle of most pelagic birds to show a marked juvenile distribution from the breeding colony, largely staying out at sea until sexually mature.

Diving, bathing, preening, and capturing live prey all are instinctive behaviors that, while easily ignored by lazy captive birds (or being reluctantly done by disabled rescues, in this case) are not forgotten. All are also behaviors that young birds tend to enthusiastically partake in as well, regardless of how they might end up maturing in a captive environment.
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Thanks for clarifying.

In the case of Auckland’s flock, the penguins are anything but enthusiastic about swimming and seldom enter the pool of their own choosing. The keepers implemented a swim school programme to encourage the disabled penguins’ use of the pool; but even the hand-raised (non-disabled chick) usually chooses to remains on land with the rest of the colony. I’m not sure if it’s the way the exhibit is designed or whether he dislikes swimming alone, while the colony is on land.

Two additional hand-raised chicks are being introduced to the flock, so it’ll be interesting to see whether the previous hand-raised chick is motivated to spend more time in the water now he has company.
 
Auckland Council in talks about Giant pandas for Auckland Zoo:

Well this would be a more exciting replacement for elephants that an extension to the rhinoceros exhibit!

Some unexpected news that Mayor Wayne Brown has proposed a plan to bring Giant pandas to Auckland Zoo, at an estimated cost of $25 million.

This isn’t the first time Giant pandas have been considered for New Zealand. In 2010, John Key proposed acquiring a pair which ultimately did not progress further than discussion.

I note these talks are preliminary and due to the cost of loaning pandas, unlikely to progress beyond the boardroom discussion table. Previous articles imply ratepayers would be footing the bill and there was significant opposition to $13.5 million plan to establish a herd of elephants, which makes it unlikely this will win support. Nonetheless, it’s something interesting to consider.

This is the source (behind a paywall, so can’t read most of it):

Council may seek $25m to bring panda pair to Auckland Zoo

Auckland Council is in behind-the-scenes talks to lease pandas from Chinas – but the five-year deal first must cross cost, conservation and geopolitical hurdles.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Auckland Council in talks about Giant pandas for Auckland Zoo:

Well this would be a more exciting replacement for elephants that an extension to the rhinoceros exhibit!

Some unexpected news that Mayor Wayne Brown has proposed a plan to bring Giant pandas to Auckland Zoo, at an estimated cost of $25 million.

This isn’t the first time Giant pandas have been considered for New Zealand. In 2010, John Key proposed acquiring a pair which ultimately did not progress further than discussion.

I note these talks are preliminary and due to the cost of loaning pandas, unlikely to progress beyond the boardroom discussion table. Previous articles imply ratepayers would be footing the bill and there was significant opposition to $13.5 million plan to establish a herd of elephants, which makes it unlikely this will win support. Nonetheless, it’s something interesting to consider.

This is the source (behind a paywall, so can’t read most of it):

Council may seek $25m to bring panda pair to Auckland Zoo

Auckland Council is in behind-the-scenes talks to lease pandas from Chinas – but the five-year deal first must cross cost, conservation and geopolitical hurdles.
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All the speculation and fantasy posts regarding Giant Pandas have been moved to here: Giant Panda discussion and speculation [Auckland Zoo]
 
Slender-tailed meerkat pups born:

Fantastic news considering 12 month old Adia only arrived late last year to join males, Tazama and Jua.

From socials:

Exciting news - we've just welcomed four tiny and vocal meerkat pups!

Our carnivore team say first-time mother Adia, who gave birth early this week, is doing an excellent job with her newborns so far. They are suckling well and are now estimated to weigh around 40 grams.

Our visitors could potentially catch a glimpse of the pups if Adia is moving them between the multiple outside and inside nesting site options. However, it’ll be three to four weeks before the pups are independent enough to be venturing out into the Africa Safari Track habitat under her guidance.

“As with any mother and her newborns, our role as zookeepers is to keep a respectful distance, while ensuring Adia has the right environment, and importantly, the best nutrition as a lactating mother, to support her in successfully rearing her pups,” says carnivore team leader Nick.
 
Elephant exhibit/dinosaurs update:

The run dates for the dinosaur exhibition will be Wednesday 2 April to Sunday 5 October 2025.

No long term redevelopment of the elephant exhibit will therefore begin until at least October/November 2025 (which will no doubt give them the next 7-8 months to consider all options).

The species line up is as follows:

Baryonyx
Compsognathus
Deinonychus
Deltadromeus
Dilophosaurus
Dimetrodon
Giganotosaurus
Megalosaurus
Quetzalcoatlus
Tyrannosaurus
Utahraptor
Citipati
Diabloceratops
Edmontonia
Edmontosaurus
Iguanodon
Pachyrhinosaurus
Stegosaurus

Dinosaur Discovery Track | Auckland Zoo
 
10 Gouldian finch chick have hatched:

From socials:

We've recently had 10 Gouldian finch chicks hatch at the Zoo!

Over the past few weeks, our bird team have been monitoring their growth. Each nest hatched at different times, so the chicks are at various stages of their development.

See the flock in our Australian Bush Track alongside the red-tailed black cockatoos and zebra finches. -Bird keeper Rebecca"
 
Slender-tailed meerkat pup update:

From socials:

At 12 days old, it’s the first time the pups have been given a health check by our veterinary team, assisted by our amazing carnivore keepers. To ensure a smooth process, all three adult meerkats - including first-time mum Adia - were temporarily moved to their inside area while this took place.

Our vet team gave each individual pup a physical exam: checking their teeth and palates, coat quality, paws and umbilicus. Our keepers also carefully placed each pup on a wooden platform attached to a scale for weighing. All pups weighed just over 70 grams, which is a healthy for their age.

“Adia is an excellent mother and remained calm and attentive throughout this process. We’re pleased to report that at this stage, each of the four pups appears healthy and strong,” explains carnivore keeper Emma. To help identify each pup, our keepers have applied a dot of (non-toxic) paint on their coat. Their sexes will be confirmed when they are a bit older and more developed.
 
Greater flamingo naming competition:

From socials:

We’d love your help to name Auckland Zoo’s three flamingo chicks!

We’re looking to give these flamingos names that relate to where their counterparts are from in the wild. Greater flamingos are native to Africa, southern Europe and parts of Asia.

Our bird team have picked out the following names – give us your top three (numbering them 1, 2, and 3 would be preferred) and let us know in the comments below!

Waridi – rose / pink in Swahili

Thandi – loving one or beloved in Xhosa

Tebogo - we are grateful / thankful in Xhosa

Dumisani – grateful / thankful in Zulu

Zahri - pink in Arabic

Kokoto - pebble in Swahili (for the colouration of their juvenile feathers).
 
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Slender-tailed meerkat pups now on display:

From socials:

The four meerkat pups are out and about, exploring their habitat!

Meerkats live in a matriarchal society, with the dominant female leading the mob—which in the Zoo’s case would be first-time mum Adia. The pups are still nursing from her, but over the next week their first set of teeth should begin to emerge, and they’ll start trying solid foods. While their core diet consists of insects, they also enjoy vegetables like peas and corn.

Meerkats share pup-raising duties. Although the pups will be weaned off Adia’s milk around nine weeks of age, they won’t instinctively know what to eat. That’s where Adia and males Jua and Tazama, come in. They’ll teach the pups by offering them mealworms and other insects—either directly from their mouths or by placing them on the ground. They also help protect the young, teaching them how to hide, hunt, and defend themselves. Keep an eye out for the pups at the Zoo this week!
 
Zoofan15 said:
Greater flamingo naming competition:

From socials:

We’d love your help to name Auckland Zoo’s three flamingo chicks!

We’re looking to give these flamingos names that relate to where their counterparts are from in the wild. Greater flamingos are native to Africa, southern Europe and parts of Asia.

Our bird team have picked out the following names – give us your top three (numbering them 1, 2, and 3 would be preferred) and let us know in the comments below!

Waridi – rose / pink in Swahili

Thandi – loving one or beloved in Xhosa

Tebogo - we are grateful / thankful in Xhosa

Dumisani – grateful / thankful in Zulu

Zahri - pink in Arabic

Kokoto - pebble in Swahili (for the colouration of their juvenile feathers).
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Greater flamingo chicks named:

The flamingo chicks have been named as follows:

0.0.1 Kokoto (Jan 2025) Baishe x Sullivan
0.0.1 Zahri (Feb 2025)
0.0.1 Waridi (Feb 2025) Willoughby x Cole

Auckland Zoo’s flamingo flock stands at 15.13.3 birds.
 
Auckland Zoo TV Series

A third season Auckland Zoo’s TV series Wild Heroes begins April 27, with the series totalling 10 episodes.
https://www.aucklandzoo.co.nz/news/wild-heroes-returns-with-exciting-new-series
Wild Heroes returns with exciting new series | Auckland Zoo News

In Episode One, viewers are transported to the stunning outer Marlborough Sounds and the beautifully rugged island of Takapourewa, a protected nature reserve not accessible to public. Here mana whenua, Ngāti Koata, as kaitiaki, are working to give one of the world’s rarest amphibians, our endemic pepeketua/Hamilton’s frog, a safe environment to thrive.

Episode One also follows the Zoo’s dedicated team of elephant keepers as they prepare Burma for her big move to Monarto Safari Park and the vet team as they work tirelessly to give a severely injured kiwi a second chance at life.

———————

I’d be interested to hear what others think, but I doubt I’ll be tuning in. Like the last season, it focuses way too much on conservation; and the exotics storylines are limited to high profile events that were extensively covered months ago on socials and in the media (last season, tiger breeding; this season, Burma’s export).

The early seasons of The Zoo (late 1990’s through to early 2000’s) were so much better in my opinion. Although I acknowledge the series had the benefit of novelty in the pre-social media era (the stories weren’t all old news); there were varied storylines, often including low profile exotics such as Temminck’s golden cat, Serval and Asian small-clawed otters. Thanks to @Abbey, who shared a link the other week, I’ve enjoyed rewatching several of these older episodes.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Auckland Zoo TV Series

A third season Auckland Zoo’s TV series Wild Heroes begins April 27, with the series totalling 10 episodes.
Wild Heroes returns with exciting new series | Auckland Zoo News

In Episode One, viewers are transported to the stunning outer Marlborough Sounds and the beautifully rugged island of Takapourewa, a protected nature reserve not accessible to public. Here mana whenua, Ngāti Koata, as kaitiaki, are working to give one of the world’s rarest amphibians, our endemic pepeketua/Hamilton’s frog, a safe environment to thrive.

Episode One also follows the Zoo’s dedicated team of elephant keepers as they prepare Burma for her big move to Monarto Safari Park and the vet team as they work tirelessly to give a severely injured kiwi a second chance at life.

———————

I’d be interested to hear what others think, but I doubt I’ll be tuning in. Like the last season, it focuses way too much on conservation; and the exotics storylines are limited to high profile events that were extensively covered months ago on socials and in the media (last season, tiger breeding; this season, Burma’s export).

The early seasons of The Zoo (late 1990’s through to early 2000’s) were so much better in my opinion. Although I acknowledge the series had the benefit of novelty in the pre-social media era (the stories weren’t all old news); there were varied storylines, often including low profile exotics such as Temminck’s golden cat, Serval and Asian small-clawed otters. Thanks to @Abbey, who shared a link the other week, I’ve enjoyed rewatching several of these older episodes.
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I doubt I'll be tuning in, either. I'd hoped for a continuation of the orangutan colony's story and how Daya is settling in, and the other orangutans' interactions with her, particularly her play-based relationship with Bahmi.
 
The kangaroos have arrived:

From socials:

We’ve welcomed kangaroos from across the Tasman!

A mob of forester kangaroos (a sub-species of the eastern grey kangaroo) have been settling in into our Australia Bush Track, under the care of our animal experiences keepers. While the mob are being introduced to their habitat, we have temporarily closed part of the Track (which includes emu, brolga and Cunningham’s skinks), and this may be closed when you visit.

It’s still early days for the ‘roos to get to know their new surroundings and our staff, and while we’re excited for you to meet them, we can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to see the kangaroos this week.

Please stay tuned for more updates on the kangaroos and how they’re doing!
 
Zoofan15 said:
The kangaroos have arrived:

From socials:

We’ve welcomed kangaroos from across the Tasman!

A mob of forester kangaroos (a sub-species of the eastern grey kangaroo) have been settling in into our Australia Bush Track, under the care of our animal experiences keepers. While the mob are being introduced to their habitat, we have temporarily closed part of the Track (which includes emu, brolga and Cunningham’s skinks), and this may be closed when you visit.

It’s still early days for the ‘roos to get to know their new surroundings and our staff, and while we’re excited for you to meet them, we can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to see the kangaroos this week.

Please stay tuned for more updates on the kangaroos and how they’re doing!
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Thats great. They’re the Tasmanian population of eastern grey ‘roos hey the forester kangaroos?
 
Zoofan15 said:
The kangaroos have arrived:

From socials:

We’ve welcomed kangaroos from across the Tasman!

A mob of forester kangaroos (a sub-species of the eastern grey kangaroo) have been settling in into our Australia Bush Track, under the care of our animal experiences keepers. While the mob are being introduced to their habitat, we have temporarily closed part of the Track (which includes emu, brolga and Cunningham’s skinks), and this may be closed when you visit.

It’s still early days for the ‘roos to get to know their new surroundings and our staff, and while we’re excited for you to meet them, we can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to see the kangaroos this week.

Please stay tuned for more updates on the kangaroos and how they’re doing!
Click to expand...

Do we know what zoo or wildlife park the kangaroos came from? I'd assume it'd be somewhere in Tasmania, but maybe mainland zoos stock this subspecies too.
 
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