Auckland Zoo Auckland Zoo News 2015

Tygo

Tygo

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15+ year member
Story about Faith the Hippo turning 40.
One of Auckland Zoo's oldest – and largest – residents celebrated her 40th birthday today with a special feast.
Faith, one of the two hippos at the zoo, was serenaded with 'Happy Birthday' by the public as she chowed down on a special herbivore cake.
Pridelands zookeeper Sarah Ashton and other zoo staff prepared the cake, made up of watermelon, carrots, hay, fennel flowers, banana palms and cabbages in the shape of a giant 40.
Faith was born at Auckland Zoo in 1975 and gave birth to son Fudge in 1988. But, though Fudge towers over his mother in size, Ms Aston says Faith is "definitely the boss".
"She has got a bit of a funny personality," she says.
"She is quite a curious hippo, she is a bit of a thinking hippo and likes to challenge us a wee bit and keep us on our toes."

The zoo's veteran resident is considered old by hippo standards, but Faith plenty of life left in her yet.
"It's a bit of a milestone," says Ms Ashton. "In the wild, [for] hippos, 40-years-old is probably a good lifespan. But in captivity she has another 10 years to go and she is a really healthy hippo."
Ms Ashton says the mother and son are a popular attraction at the zoo and feeding time always draws in a crowd.
"More often than not I'll put some food out on exhibit for the hippos - they're inside at the time - I bring them in, put some food out for them, let them back out and I can often hear cries of 'wow' and 'amazing'.
"Over the summer in particular there is always a good crowd gathered here to check out two lovely hippos."
Although hippos are herbivores they are also highly dangerous animals. They can open their mouths up to 150 degrees and can reach speeds of up to 30km/h.
They originated in sub-Saharan Africa and are ranked among the most dangerous animals in Africa.
3 News


Read more: Hippo hooray for Auckland Zoo resident | NZNews | 3 News
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Siamang Gibbon, Iwani has been PTS :(

We're very sad to share with you that we have had to euthanise our 11-year-old male siamang gibbon, Iwani, due to serious on-going welfare issues.

Iwani had an extremely tough start to life that, over the years, has seriously impacted his long-term well-being here at Auckland Zoo. He was rejected by his mum at six weeks of age and then had to be hand-reared by the primate keepers.

Despite all the incredible love and care given to him by his keepers and their exhaustive efforts to try and give Iwani a good life, we had to accept that, in the end, we were unable to meet his welfare needs and there was nothing more we could do to try and alleviate his suffering.

To ensure the best welfare for our remaining siamang, female Kera, we will soon be pairing her up with a young male, Intan, coming to us from Willowbank Wildlife Park.

This has been a sad decision for the Zoo and we thank you for your support, especially for our primate team.
 
Nisha said:
Siamang Gibbon, Iwani has been PTS :(
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Very sad, Iwani was very well known in NZ from The Zoo TV series, as well as specials about him. They don't actually specifiy what the ongoing welfare reasons were, which which is rather unusual.
 
Bo the Red Panda has given birth to a single cub.
https://www.facebook.com/AKLZOONZ?fref=photo
We're happy to report the pitter patter of tiny red fluffy feet - Bo has given birth to a red panda cub! The photos are a little grainy, but here's your first sneak peek of the little one.
We're giving mum and cub some peace and quiet, so we'll bring you more photos and video when we can.
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The directors of Auckalnd and Wellington Zoos have penned a strong article in response to criticism received over euthanising Iwani.

Story here: Jonathan Wilcken and Karen Fifield: Zoos in it for good of the animals - Life & Style - NZ Herald News

Recently, Auckland Zoo had to make a difficult animal welfare decision. Iwani was a siamang that had been rejected violently by his mother at a very early age. He would have died miserably were he in the wild, and survived only because of the care of his keepers. But sadly he suffered severe developmental damage. He did not know how to be a siamang and did not know how else to be. As he grew older, despite the love and exhaustive efforts of his keepers, his distress increased. All experts consulted agreed he had no prospect of a decent life, at Auckland Zoo or elsewhere. Auckland Zoo staff could not allow his life this way and so made the difficult decision to euthanise Iwani.

This was a decision made with great care, after extensive consultation, and always with Iwani's well-being as the paramount consideration. It reflected the overriding concern of all good zoos for the well-being of the animals in our care.

As members of the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia, organisations like Auckland and Wellington Zoos are at the leading edge of the developing science of animal care. Our zoo association is among the first in the world to adopt the most up-to-date animal welfare thinking, developed by Professor David Mellor and colleagues from Massey University. We focus holistically on providing for our animals' physical needs and ensuring each animal's emotional fulfilment.

Many look to the wild as providing the ideal in well-being for wildlife. Some criticise zoos for not being able to replicate, precisely, these circumstances. If we were to do so, it would mean also replicating all the suffering, hunger, cruelty, fear, injury and disease that awaits most animals there. The truth is that the wild is often a fearsome place for animals. When good zoos care for animals, we aim to avoid all such suffering and provide an interesting and fulfilling life for our animals by giving them rich environments, challenging circumstances, and social settings appropriate to their biology.

Nevertheless, the main work of modern zoos is conserving wildlife in the wild. This work has never been more vital. There are half as many wild animals now as there were only 30 years ago. At least a third of all remaining animal species are on a path to extinction, including many of our native species.

Working in support of Department of Conservation programmes and those of other partners, kiwi, kaka, grand and Otago skinks, wetapunga and many other species are bred and raised in our zoos every year for their restoration to the wild.

For many species, this is critical. A recent review demonstrated that conservation breeding and support in zoos has played a part in a quarter of all successful species conservation programmes worldwide.

Zoos also provide significant funds to help conserve wildlife. Indeed, zoos represent the third largest source of conservation funding in the world, contributing more than US$350 million ($483 million) to field conservation each year. We provide grants, fund research and send our staff to work out in the field, helping recover wildlife.

Perhaps even more importantly, modern zoos are uniquely placed to reconnect our communities with nature and to galvanise them to act.

Today, 87 per cent of New Zealanders live in cities. Increasingly, people don't feel connected to nature and don't understand the effect our everyday lives have on the environment. Unknowingly, we are putting great pressure on the wild and helping many species to extinction.

If we are to change attitudes, we need people to re-establish an emotional connection to wildlife, to care and be concerned enough to act. This social science of conservation psychology is a growing area of expertise, and study after study has demonstrated the power of such experiential learning in zoos. Without well cared for animals, such advocacy would not be possible.

So, when some accuse zoos of exploiting our animals for profit, bear in mind that zoos like Auckland and Wellington are, in fact, not-for-profit organisations; that our organisations are dedicated to the well-being and conservation of the world's wildlife; that last year we released more than 1000 animals to the wild; that our zoos alone spent over $1.3 million last year supporting field conservation; that we can influence the one million people a year who visit our two zoos; and that 80 per cent of these report an increased appreciation of wildlife after their visit.

And that no one cares for our animals more than we do.

Jonathan Wilcken is director of Auckland Zoo and a board member of the Zoo Aquarium Association Australasia. Karen Fifield is chief executive of Wellington Zoo Trust and president of the Zoo Aquarium Association Australasia.
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Progress on Elephant importation - will happen this year! Probably.

Story here: Elephants' arrival creeps closer | Stuff.co.nz

Auckland's much-heralded new elephants are all but on their way to the zoo.

The two Asian elephants planned to replace Kashin, Auckland Zoo's female elephant who died in 2009, are likely to arrive within the next few months, the zoo says.

It would definitely be within the year, zoo director Jonathan Wilcken confirmed. "We're hoping for a matter of months rather than any longer."

The zoo had been working closely with the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka for some time, and the arrival of two Sri Lankan elephants was now a matter of when, not if.

"We're getting pretty excited," Wilcken said.

A transitional facility to house the animals on Niue while they were in quarantine was under construction, he said.

He and former Commonweath Secretary-General Don McKinnon, now chairman of Regional Facilities Auckland, which administers the zoo, went to inspect the facility late last month. It was due to be completed in a few weeks.

There was still a lot of ground to cover in terms of selecting the young elephants, Wilcken said.

New Zealand had some of the toughest biosecurity requirements in the world, and the zoo had to make sure it was complying with all international requirements, such as the CITES treaty on trade in endangered animals.

The most important consideration was the welfare of Burma, the zoo's 32-year-old elephant who has been on her own since the death of Kashin.

The two elephants the zoo chose had to be young and behaviourally compatible with Burma to allow her to be the matriarch of the new group.

"We're being very picky. We've got to be very careful to make the right decisions," Wilcken said.

The ultimate aim was to breed from the new animals, the zoo director said.
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oh wow, that was a sudden announcement. Here's another article from the Niue perspective:
Niue prepares for the arrival of elephants | Radio New Zealand News
The Government Secretary, Richard Hipa says the new facility is under construction on Crown Land in the village of Avatele and is expected to be finished by the end of February.

He says Niueans will be able to watch the elephants from a specially built viewing platform during their three month stay on the island.

He says preparations for the elephants' arrival has been assessed by a delegation from New Zealand's Ministry of Primary Industries.

"They will be flown in by plane. This is a special arrangement and I think it's a special plane to carry the elephants. I don't believe there's going to be a direct flight from Sri Lanka to Niue, there's got to be some stopovers. But that is what the New Zealand zoo is arranging for the transportation of the baby elephants."

Richard Hipa says the pair are destined for Auckland Zoo and its staff will care for the two new companions for their current elephant, 32 year old Burma, who has been alone since 40 year old Kashin died in 2009.
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The Pridelands Escarpment

I saw some listings advertising services wanted for tender on a government website for a project called The Pridelands Escarpment.
The Pridelands Escarpment, will be a new exhibit in Auckland Zoo, located at the end of the existing Pridelands enclosure. It will incorporate an aviary structure, new meerkat enclosure and visitor toilets.
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Interesting, I'd read on here they were going to build a new meerkat enclosure in Pridelands. Does anyone know if construction has started?

https://www.gets.govt.nz/RFAL/ExternalTenderDetails.htm?id=6844895
https://www.gets.govt.nz/RFAL/ExternalTenderDetails.htm?id=6844712
 
driftaguy said:
I saw some listings advertising services wanted for tender on a government website for a project called The Pridelands Escarpment.

Interesting, I'd read on here they were going to build a new meerkat enclosure in Pridelands. Does anyone know if construction has started?

https://www.gets.govt.nz/RFAL/ExternalTenderDetails.htm?id=6844895
https://www.gets.govt.nz/RFAL/ExternalTenderDetails.htm?id=6844712
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This is excellent news, hopefully they are able to incorporate tunnels like the current exhibit. And stunningly awesome that they have thought to include an aviary! Presumably this will get the lovebirds back on display. I've wanted an exhibit like this to be added to Pridelands for ages, and it gets a big area of "surplus" exhibits in the centre of the zoo that are ripe for demolition and redevelopment, ideally as part of an exhibit linking the Tigers and Orangs in an Asian area. I'd love it to be Sun Bears...

I doubt work has started yet, as there's nothing on the website and there should be if anything is under construction. It will be interesting to see exactly where its built. And how they will do the elephants behind hte Pridelands.
 
I heard about this yesterday from a staff member. Construction is expected to start next month. They will be removing part of the boardwalk and replacing it with a viewing area from ground level. In this area will also be a new Meerkat enclosure.

That is all I have heard so far.
 
Capybaras Coming to Auckland Zoo.

I heard from a zoo employee while behind the scenes yesterday that Capybaras are coming to Auckland Zoo. At this point they are unaware of a date. I am not too sure where they are coming from although there are rumours they might be coming from Adelaide Zoo (some of their babies I'm guessing).

They will live in the current squirrel monkey enclosure in the rainforest together with the squirrel monkeys. Behind the scenes, a new den area is being constructed for them (I have a photo of it but don't know if I should post it).

To me, this is very exciting news! I have always loved Capybaras.
Unfortunately I won't get to see them since I'm moving to Europe next month but it is exciting.
 
RoseZondag said:
I heard about this yesterday from a staff member. Construction is expected to start next month. They will be removing part of the boardwalk and replacing it with a viewing area from ground level. In this area will also be a new Meerkat enclosure.

That is all I have heard so far.
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The boardwalk around the giraffes? That would be a major undertaking, how would visitors get down to ground level? Presumably this will be in the area around the African huts, near the lion viewing?
 
zooboy28 said:
The boardwalk around the giraffes? That would be a major undertaking, how would visitors get down to ground level? Presumably this will be in the area around the African huts, near the lion viewing?
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They describe it as a "dip". I am not so sure but like the boardwalk sloping downwards and then back up or something. Anyway the plan is to have viewing from both above and below, which would be interesting.

The new meerkat enclosure is basically because the others are getting old and hard to contain meerkats apparently. Sometimes they just manage to get out of the current ones.
 
RoseZondag said:
They describe it as a "dip". I am not so sure but like the boardwalk sloping downwards and then back up or something. Anyway the plan is to have viewing from both above and below, which would be interesting.

The new meerkat enclosure is basically because the others are getting old and hard to contain meerkats apparently. Sometimes they just manage to get out of the current ones.
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It will certainly be very interesting to see how the development pans out, I have very high hopes. The meerkats have escaped from the current exhibit, and that is one of the older exhibits in the zoo, although obviously extensively modified from its days as a bear pit.
 
Auckland Zoo Copping Flak Over Elephants

Born Free have accussed Auckland Zoo staff as well as local staff of abusing elephants at the orphanage in Sri Lanka, where they also say "animal welfare" is not a priority. So, as per usual, BF (or should that be BS?) blame both the orphanage and the Zoo for the bad conditions, and do nothing to actually improve the situation or help the elephants at all.

Story here: Auckland Zoo under fire for treatment of elephant | Stuff.co.nz

Auckland Zoo staff have been accused on social media of mistreating two Sri Lankan elephant calves due to be flown here later this year.

Born Free Foundation, headquartered in Washington, say their representatives in Sri Lanka saw a uniformed member of Auckland Zoo leading a young elephant in chains and using a bullhook on it.

Auckland Zoo director Jonathan Wilcken adamantly denies any suggestion of wrong doing.

He confirms a picture published by Born Free is of one of his staff members with a female calf at Sri Lanka's Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage likely to come to New Zealand. It is shown with chains and with bullhooks visible for control.

Wilcken said their staff had absolutely not mistreated elephants.

"We have had staff there for almost six months now," he said.

"We have a very different way of managing elephants here and we are working with the mahouts with the elephant's orphanage so that when they come here they will settle in…

"No Auckland Zoo staff have been mistreating elephants anywhere, anywhere. We do have quite a different way of managing elephants at the zoo and its based building a free contact programme."

Auckland keepers build trust and confidence in the elephant and create bonds between the elephants and keepers.

"It is different than perhaps the century old way that mahouts take."

Auckland Zoo, which is part of Auckland Council, is spending $3.2 million to import two calves to start a breeding programme as well as provide company for Burma, the zoo's 32-year-old female elephant.

The logistically, legally and biologically complex operation, will see two female elephants flown to Niue where a quarantine compound has been built in the village of Prime Minister Toke Talagi.

The elephants are likely to fly in comfort on a specialist animal moving jet like a Boeing 777 but will probably do the last leg into Niue in a Royal New Zealand Air Force C130 Hercules.

Wilcken said they have identified one elephant likely to come to Auckland.

"We don't have transport booked. We have no health certificates for anybody, we have no permits from anybody," he said.

"We are hoping its not a long way off but there is no certainty about anything yet…. We've moved into a when, not if."

Born Free Foundation CEO Adam Roberts is running a social media campaign to block the transfer of the elephants and Wilcken confirmed they were getting internet traffic based on the objections.

Robert's has used social media and the organisation's website to publish what they say is a photo of an Auckland Zoo staffer with an elephant in chains and with a bullhook visible.

"We are urgently calling on the governments of the countries involved to reconsider this move," he says.

"Representatives from the Born Free Foundation recently visited the infamous Pinnawala Elephant 'Orphanage' in Sri Lanka, where we observed what appeared to be a uniformed member of Auckland Zoo staff leading a young elephant in chains," Roberts says.

"The zookeeper carried an ankus, or bullhook. It's clear that the welfare of these endangered elephants is not a priority for those at Pinnawala — or for those at Auckland Zoo."

Foundation's programmes manager for captive wild animals/science, Chris Draper, claims the young elephants are being kept chained for long periods.

"Some individuals appear to spend long periods chained.

"When they are being led under human control, this is done as indicated in the picture, with the chains still around their ankles and draped over the elephant's neck.

"The elephant pictured was under the control of the person assumed to be from Auckland Zoo, who was carrying a short bullhook, and a worker from Pinnewala, carrying a long bullhook."

Asked about the bullhook, he said it was used as a means of controlling an elephant through negative reinforcement.

"It is used to apply sharp pressure to a point on the animal's body so that the animal moves that body part away from the sharp stimulus."

While elephant skin looked thick and rough, it was sensitive.

"In some cases, the bullhook may used more aggressively, to hook behind the ear and tug to move the animal forward for example, or to jab at the elephant or to strike or beat it.

"Elephants that are handled using a bullhook will have been exposed to its full potential to cause pain."

Wilcken said groups like Born Free had an ideological objection to zoos over a concern for welfare.

"There are a few groups around the world who are activists on this issue, they have an ideological position on zoos holding elephants.

"The thing that worries me about this is that it is not based on evidence."

Born Free had never talked to Auckland Zoo.

"We would be the last people who want to give anything but the best possible lives. No one cares for a single elephant more than our people do."
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Auckland Zoo to Just Import One Elephant For Now...

Auckland Zoo has identified one female "calf" to import, but there is still no timeframe (although it appears that the elephant will have to come to NZ before it goes to quarantine in Niue). As I see it, bringing in just one elephant is disappointing and doesn't make as much sense as bringing in two (original and still eventual plan), and will basically cost twice as much (and be prone to twice as much AR bull). And what if Burma and the new animal don't get on - at least it would have had a companion in the form of its fellow orphan and that would have increased the chance of Burma bonding with the new arrivals. I rather feel like the zoo must know this, and perhaps are being hamstrung by the city council.

Story here: Elephant calf moving to Auckland Zoo - auckland | Stuff.co.nz

There is a single female elephant calf that's about to become a Jaffa.

It is now a case of when, not if.

But in saying that, Auckland Zoo director Jonathan Wilcken looks back on a five-year process and anxiously qualifies that.

"Nothing is certain in life and we are proceeding on the basis that it is going to happen," he cautions.

"We don't have transport booked, we have no health certificates for anybody, no permits arranged… We are hoping it is not a long way off. There is no certainty on anything at the moment."

Suggesting that it should be certain because Auckland has paid for a new elephant brings a sharp rebuke.

"You don't buy and sell elephants. It's a hugely complicated business, we've been working on it for five years now, down many roads that have gone no where."

But there is an elephant and she has a name. There is even a photo.

Don't call it a secret though. Wilcken says the zoo is the most open place in Auckland – it is just that he is saving the Sri Lankan name for she when actually makes it here.

Several Auckland Zoo keepers have spent six months at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, 70 kilometres outside Sri Lanka's capital of Colombo, doing the animal world's equivalent of psychometric testing on the calf.

It's not that she has to be capable of breeding, what Wilcken wants is her ability to get on with the zoo's sole elephant (and the only one in New Zealand), 32-year-old female Burma.

A second female elephant is likely to come later from Pinnawala but so far one has not been shortlisted.

Key to selection is temperament.

"Our stating point for all this is to build companionship for Burma."

Burma cannot breed but she will be the matriarch in any Auckland Zoo herd.

"The most stable structures are the matriarchal herd, they provide each other with the social bonds that are so important.

"It may be years before we bring a male."

Meantime Auckland has found itself caught in a bruising international social media campaign over the elephant.

Anti-zoo organisation Born Free Foundation, headquartered in London, say their representatives in Sri Lanka saw a uniformed member of Auckland Zoo leading the elephant in chains and using a bullhook on it.

Wilcken confirmed the picture was likely that of the Auckland elephant absolutely denied any mistreatment.

"No Auckland Zoo staff have been mistreating elephants anywhere, anywhere. We do have quite a different way of managing elephants at the zoo and it's based on building a free-contact programme."

Wilcken said groups like Born Free had an ideological objection to zoos over a concern for welfare.

"There are a few groups around the world who are activists on this issue, they have an ideological position on zoos holding elephants.

"The thing that worries me about this is that it is not based on evidence."

Born Free had never talked to Auckland Zoo.

"We would be the last people who want to give [elephants] anything but the best possible lives. No one cares for a single elephant more than our people do."

One sign that there is progress is that the zoo has built a quarantine base for the new elephant in the village of Niue's Prime Minister Toke Talagi, where she will be held for 90 days.

Sri Lanka has foot and mouth disease and while the record on whether elephants have ever had the disease is unclear, no one is taking any risks. Besides, the law requires the quarantine.

Niue has been used before when llamas, for farming, were introduced into New Zealand.

Getting the elephant the 12,400 kilometres from Colombo to Niue's Ralph Hanan International Airport is likely to be complex. Commercial Boeing 777s and Volga-Dnepr's old Soviet era Ilyushin Il-76s are routinely used for the job.

But Niue's 2335-metre runway may be too short and, besides, there is not enough Jet A1 fuel to top up a big jet for a return trip. So the quarantined elephant is likely to make a transit stop in Auckland to be loaded aboard a Royal New Zealand Air Force C130 Hercules for the 2500 kilometre trip to Niue.

Movement is strictly governed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and travelling without the right paperwork will result in seizure along the way.

Costs are variable but expect little change from $3 million for air freight, and add in insurance, food and air fares for the mahouts.

Auckland Council has $3.2m budgeted for two elephants.

And there is the little matter of what happens if an elephant panics in the air.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums says elephants can be trained and habituated to transport, with no obvious ill effects.

"If the elephant is being transported by airplane, it is strongly recommended that a veterinarian accompany the elephant. The effects of sedatives or anaesthetic drugs combined with the effects of altitude may potentially lead to more serious side effects.
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Reply to zooboy28

You make a valid point, according to 'The Zoo: This Is Your Life (2008)', Kashin and Burma were at best indifferent to each other for the first couple of years.

While Kashin had shown fondness and affection for a three year old African Elephant calf held at Auckland Zoo in 1983; in 1990, the then 22 year old Kashin was offhand and aloof when she was first introduced to 8 year old Burma. Early photographs of the pair show them standing 'back to back' which is elephant body language for disinterest in each other. It took years for them to form the close bond they eventually shared.

Like you say, 'Zooboy' the companionship of a second calf would be helpful in the social adjustment of the new calf, should Burma show indifference to it's presence.

I have heard no information on the age of the "calf." Personally I think the younger the better (ideally under 6 years of age). Aside from the obvious fact that Burma would feel more maternally inclined towards a younger calf, there is the logisitics of breeding to consider...

Breeding would require the importation of a bull (or more likely breeding through AI). Breeding through AI is expensive and unlikely to occur immediately as the zoo will want to ensure the new elephant is acclimitised socially etc. Assuming these arrangements took four years to impliment, and then proceeded incident free, importing a 6 year old would mean the female would conceive at 10, and deliver a calf at 12. Of course, importing a younger female of 3, 4 or 5 years of age would give them even more time.

Importing an older female, approaching her teens, would decrease the reproductive potential of the new animal and if implimenting oppotunities for breeding were delayed for whatever reason, the zoo could find itself with another elephant too old to breed by the time anything is arranged.
 
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