Hamilton Zoo Hamilton Zoo News 2015

zooboy28

zooboy28

Well-Known Member
First piece of news from Hamilton Zoo this year is particularly exciting - an Australasian Bittern has gone on display in the Free Flight Aviary. Which essentially means it is off-display... But it is the only bittern in a zoo in New Zealand (probably Australasia) so it is particularly exciting, and as I haven;t seen one before I'll definitely search for it next time I'm there!

Story & Photo here: Rare bird nursed back to health - waikato-times | Stuff.co.nz

It'll take more than a gunshot wound and a severed wing to keep this endangered bird down.

In a tale that has one and-a-half wings, a rare Australasian bittern has been nursed back to health by a small team of experts, and is now Hamilton Zoo's first resident bittern.

Wild life rehabilitator Bill Smith said the seldom spotted bird was recovered about 18 months ago by a farmer in wetlands near Te Kauwhata, where he expected it had been accidentally shot by hunters during duck shooting season.

"The bird clearly got away but was unable to look after itself because it could no longer fly, so it struggled to find food.

"It would have been wandering for some time, because the wound had healed when it came to us," said Smith, who runs the Aviation Wildlife Rehabilitation Trust.

Smith worked on the bird for about two months and "fattened it up and got some condition on it", before it went to Hamilton Zoo where rehabilitation continued with the zoo team.

"They often don't survive rehabilitation because the nature of the bird is very skittish and they won't eat. They go downhearted and simply drop dead," Smith said.

The elusive bird now lives in the zoo's native bird free flight aviary and has been enjoying a diet of mice and insects. Experts weren't sure of its sex, but have dubbed the bird Matuku – the Maori word for bittern.

The pellet was still in its side, but Smith said it would cause no further damage as it was lodged in tissue.

Zoo curator Samantha Kudeweh said the bird was so secretive, it vanished for two weeks once staff transferred it from a controlled, smaller enclosure into the flight aviary. Now Matuku is occasionally brave enough to let visitors sight it from a distance amongst the reeds.

"It will remain at the zoo now where we can feed it and monitor it. With half a wing gone, it probably wouldn't survive in the wild again."

NZ Birds Online estimated in 2013 there was about 2000 bittern left in the world, including about 900 in New Zealand.
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zooboy28 said:
First piece of news from Hamilton Zoo this year is particularly exciting - an Australasian Bittern has gone on display in the Free Flight Aviary. Which essentially means it is off-display... But it is the only bittern in a zoo in New Zealand (probably Australasia) so it is particularly exciting, and as I haven;t seen one before I'll definitely search for it next time I'm there!
Click to expand...
Orana Park had a bittern in their walk-through aviary when it first opened, and it was always very visible. Hopefully Hamilton's one will get bolder once it settles in.
 
Hamilton Zoo has produced more Red Pandas a male and female born to Chito and Tayla on the 22 January.Hamilton Zoo's red pandas get ready for their close-up | Stuff.co.nz
Two bundles of squeaking fluff at Hamilton Zoo are threatening to melt the coldest of hearts.

A pair of baby red pandas is the latest dose of cute to arrive at the zoo - the fourth litter for mum Tayla.

Born on January 22, the cubs - a male and a female - are just about to hit one month old, and keepers are pleased with their growth so far.

"We are pretty stoked with how they are going," said team leader of mammals Catherine Nichols. They weighed in yesterday at 460 grams and 405 grams.

Red pandas are classified as a vulnerable species, given their population decline.

Tayla came to the zoo from Perth and has done well to produce four litters in her seven-year life, said keeper Delwyn Crombie.

"There's only a 24-hours window that red pandas can breed in any year, just like the black and white panda.

"This can alter in a zoo situation, I guess it's not as natural as being in the wild."

The Times met Tayla's last pair of cubs, Khusi and Khela, about a year ago. They have grown into a pair of strong and playful females and remain a hit with visitors.

Tayla also had triplets in December 2012, and has one surviving male from her first litter.

Nichols said it was typical for cubs to be born in December, but the last two litters arrived in mid-late January.

"They seem to be shifting cycle, we are actually noticing the same thing in other zoos, they're all breeding around the same time."

There is no recent data on red panda numbers worldwide available. In 1999, the total population in China was estimated at between 3000 and 7000, while the wild population in India was estimated at between 5000 and 6000 in 2001. These figures were expected to be steadily decreasing.

"It's things like human impact on their environment," Nichols said. "There are several projects out there to save them but red pandas are quite secretive so we are able to help with those projects in a way.

"There's some research on them in the wild and we're using that knowledge to build on, such as what protein levels they need and things with milk."

Nichols said keepers have learned through modifying Tayla's diet that she needs a lot of protein for lactation.

Red pandas are carnivores but favour bamboo, and Nichols said their digestive system was designed to break this down quickly. Tayla has developed a taste for day-old chicks since she started feeding her new cubs.

"Part of that is for her lactation, they are known to eat small mammals like that in the wild."

The cubs are expected to venture out for the public to see by about May. Between now and then, their diet and weight will need to be carefully monitored by keepers. Until then, visitors can still see Tayla, dad Chito, and sisters Khusi and Khela in the red panda enclosure. rachel.thomas@fairfaxmedia.co.nz
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Red Panda Breeding Success

Tygo said:
Hamilton Zoo has produced more Red Pandas a male and female born to Chito and Tayla on the 22 January.Hamilton Zoo's red pandas get ready for their close-up | Stuff.co.nz
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Fantastic news. Hamilton Zoo has been very successful with their breeding pair, Chito and Tayla having now produced eight surviving offspring:

-Ketu (Dec 2011) M
-Nima (Dec 2012) M
-Dawa (Dec 2012) M
-Karma (Dec 2012) M
-Khusi (Jan 2014) F
-Khela (Jan 2014) F
-Unnamed male (Jan 2015) M
-Unnamed female (Jan 2015) F

It's good to see a pair being given the oppotunity to produce a few litters, not just one or two as is often the case. Tayla appears to be a reliable breeder, and has produced multiples each time.
 
Comings and goings:

Just posted onto the Hamilton Zoo Facebook page: A new arrival for the Chimps

Moves and grooves: Today we say farewell to red panda Khusi who travels to her new home at Wellington Zoo. On the return journey however will be Chima the chimpanzee to join our troop! Chimps and keepers very excited!
 
Nisha said:
Just posted onto the Hamilton Zoo Facebook page: A new arrival for the Chimps

Moves and grooves: Today we say farewell to red panda Khusi who travels to her new home at Wellington Zoo. On the return journey however will be Chima the chimpanzee to join our troop! Chimps and keepers very excited!
Click to expand...

This is exciting for Hamilton's chimp group, hopefully the integration is smooth, and might lead to a succesful breeding or two.
 
zooboy28 said:
First piece of news from Hamilton Zoo this year is particularly exciting - an Australasian Bittern has gone on display in the Free Flight Aviary. Which essentially means it is off-display... But it is the only bittern in a zoo in New Zealand (probably Australasia) so it is particularly exciting, and as I haven't seen one before I'll definitely search for it next time I'm there!
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I wonder if the bittern is still alive? It is not mentioned on their website that I can see, and I can't find anything further after the initial press releases.

As an aside I did find a 2013 newsletter from the zoo's education department saying they had received a bittern that year (which is at odds with the article which heads this present thread, which says "a rare Australasian bittern has been nursed back to health by a small team of experts, and is now Hamilton Zoo's first resident bittern").

http://hamiltonzoo.co.nz/assets/Hamilton-Zoo-Education-Newsletter-Term-4-2013.pdf
A rescued Australasian Bittern has arrived and will shortly be joining an existing exhibit within the zoo.
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Perhaps the 2013 one did not survive for long after arrival? (It had come from a bird rescuer in Gordonton: The birdman of Gordonton - Number 8 Network).
 
Chlidonias said:
I wonder if the bittern is still alive? It is not mentioned on their website that I can see, and I can't find anything further after the initial press releases.

As an aside I did find a 2013 newsletter from the zoo's education department saying they had received a bittern that year (which is at odds with the article which heads this present thread, which says "a rare Australasian bittern has been nursed back to health by a small team of experts, and is now Hamilton Zoo's first resident bittern").

http://hamiltonzoo.co.nz/assets/Hamilton-Zoo-Education-Newsletter-Term-4-2013.pdf


Perhaps the 2013 one did not survive for long after arrival? (It had come from a bird rescuer in Gordonton: The birdman of Gordonton - Number 8 Network).
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I wouldn't take its presence, or lack there of, on the website as any indication of its presence at the zoo. I will be visiting Hamilton Zoo next month (yay!), so will try to find out (and hopefully, fingers very crossed, see it!) then.

I guess the 2013 bird may have only been in for vet treatment and was subsequently released (or possibly died). I'm thinking "resident" may be an important word here.
 
A female Fishing Cat has arrived from Singapore, in exchange for the Hunting Dogs who went in the opposite direction back in February.

Name suggestions are also being taken for the Tiger cubs

A few weeks earlier keeper Andy and Morele collected precious cargo from Auckland Airport. A female fishing cat was imported from Singapore to become part of the Australasian breeding programme. We already have a grumpy male fishing cat named Besar for her to pair with.

She was brought off the plane on this trolley and Andy and Morele had their first glimpse of her through a ventilation hole in her crate.

She spent the first 7 days at Hamilton Zoo in our quarantine facility – a requirement for a new felid coming into the country. She proved to be a very shy cat, but we thought she was beautiful and so she was named “Indah” which means beautiful in Indonesian.

As she passed all the quarantine requirements, we took her down to live in the enclosure next to Besar. She wasn’t so keen to come out of her crate at first, but eventually she ventured out for the first glimpse of her new Waikato home.

I don’t think boofhead Besar has really noticed that she’s there, but maybe when she starts cycling he might become a little more interested. She is currently off display while she gets used to us and we get used to her. She has some great hiding spots in the willow trees and flax bushes, sometimes proving very difficult to find. She loves her food and pulling her blankets out of her house.

And hopefully in the future we will hear the pitter-patter of little fishing cat paws
News & Diaries - Hamilton Zoo
 
Nisha said:
A female Fishing Cat has arrived from Singapore, in exchange for the Hunting Dogs who went in the opposite direction back in February...
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This is quite a surprise! I thought Fishing Cats had been abandoned in Australasia, so its great to see an import! Hopefully (so, so hopefully) it will lead to succesful breeding, additional holders and reinstatement of the managed programme. Before this import, there were just 1.1 in the region, with the female at Taronga Zoo.
 
this is completely out of left field! Great news, but a total surprise.

I do (of course) have to comment on the sentence in the article, "A female fishing cat was imported from Singapore to become part of the Australasian breeding programme." As zooboy28 rightly noted, there are only two others left in Australasia! The male at Hamilton and a female at Taronga, who are both about 13 years old. The Australasian breeding programme for the species has been an utter failure!

Other than that, good news.
 
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Chimpanzee, Chima (who arrived from Wellington a few weeks ago) has died following an attack by dominant male, Luca during introductions :(

In a tragic turn of events, Chima was attacked and badly bitten after being introduced to the dominant male, Luka. Zoo staff worked around the clock to try and save Chima, with several staff members sleeping next to her enclosure after the attack.

Zoo Director Stephen Standley says a plan for integrating Chima with the other chimpanzees had been prepared well in advance of her arrival. It was based on knowledge of general chimp behaviour as well as the behaviour of the individual chimps involved, including Chima. A key element of the plan was early introduction to provide Chima with social opportunities as soon as possible. Chima was successfully integrated with two females, Sally and Sanda without incident, Mr Standley says.

The altercation with Luka lasted only two minutes and the chimpanzees were separated by keepers. Chima had severe bite wounds to her neck, legs and bottom and these were stitched under general anaesthetic. She was given round the clock care over the next five days and some of the zoo team slept in the chimp house during this time.

“Sadly Chima passed away just after midnight on Saturday, and the post mortem indicates probable cause of death was brain trauma sustained in the original attack,” he says. “Staff at Hamilton and Wellington zoos are devastated by Chima’s death. Chimpanzees are extremely intelligent and their behaviour can be unpredictable, especially when introducing them to new chimpanzees.”

Zoo vet, Mica Jensen, tried to save Chima.

“Many of us spent many late nights with Chima, often sleeping in the chimp house, and setting up a mini ICU unit to try to bring her back to us. We even placed Sally, one of the other female chimps, in the den next to Chima to encourage her to recover. It was a heart-breaking night when Chima did not wake up from her final anaesthetic.”

A team of highly trained specialists worked to keep Chima alive, and Dr Jensen passes on her thanks

“Hamilton Zoo would like to say thank you to all the veterinary and human medical specialists and staff who provided consultation, equipment and supplies often at odd hours over the Easter break, to help give her the best care we could. This included staff from Massey Vet Hospital, Wildbase, Waikato Hospital, Waikato After Hours Veterinary Hospital, Gribbles Pathology, Wellington Zoo and Braemar hospital.”

Much loved chimp, Chima, dies - Hamilton Zoo
 
Nisha said:
Just posted onto the Hamilton Zoo Facebook page: A new arrival for the Chimps

Moves and grooves: Today we say farewell to red panda Khusi who travels to her new home at Wellington Zoo. On the return journey however will be Chima the chimpanzee to join our troop! Chimps and keepers very excited!
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the introduction of Chima, the new female, did not go well. Although she did bond with Hamilton's females, she was attacked by one of the males and has sadly died. This is extremely sad news for both Hamilton & Wellington Zoo, and another blow to Hamilton's chimpanzee programme.

Story here: Hamilton chimpanzee dies after attack | Stuff.co.nz

A recent arrival at Hamilton's chimpanzee enclosure died after a frenzied two-minute attack left her with bites and brain trauma.

Chima , a 20-year old female at Hamilton Zoo died on Saturday , five days after she was beaten by another chimpanzee.

Zoo director Stephen Standley said Chima was introduced to the dominant male, Luka, but was left with severe bite wounds to her neck, legs and rear.

Chima the chimp tucks into a banana at Wellington zoo.

"Sadly, Chima passed away just after midnight on Saturday and the post mortem indicates probable cause of death was brain trauma sustained in the original attack," said Standley.

Chima's moved to Hamilton from Wellington Zoo as part of a regional breeding programme and integration into her new community was prepared well in advance, said Standley.

She was already successfully integrated with two females, Sally and Sanda, without incident.

"Chimpanzees are extremely intelligent and their behaviour can be unpredictable, especially when introducing them to new chimpanzees," he said.

Standley said staff at both Hamilton and Wellington zoos were devastated by Chima's death.

Zoo vet Mica Jensen said staff stayed with Chima throughout her treatment.

"Many of us spent many late nights with Chima, often sleeping in the chimp house, and setting up a mini-ICU unit to try to bring her back to us," said Jensen.

"We even placed Sally, one of the other female chimps, in the den next to Chima to encourage her to recover. It was a heart-breaking night when Chima did not wake up from her final anaesthetic."

Veterinary and medical specialists provided consultation, equipment and supplies during Easter including staff from Massey Vet Hospital, Waikato Hospital, Waikato After Hours Veterinary Hospital, Wellington Zoo and Braemar Hospital.
Click to expand...
 
Nisha said:
Chimpanzee, Chima (who arrived from Wellington a few weeks ago) has died following an attack by dominant male, Luca during introductions :(

In a tragic turn of events, Chima was attacked and badly bitten after being introduced to the dominant male, Luka. Zoo staff worked around the clock to try and save Chima, with several staff members sleeping next to her enclosure after the attack.

Zoo Director Stephen Standley says a plan for integrating Chima with the other chimpanzees had been prepared well in advance of her arrival. It was based on knowledge of general chimp behaviour as well as the behaviour of the individual chimps involved, including Chima. A key element of the plan was early introduction to provide Chima with social opportunities as soon as possible. Chima was successfully integrated with two females, Sally and Sanda without incident, Mr Standley says.

The altercation with Luka lasted only two minutes and the chimpanzees were separated by keepers. Chima had severe bite wounds to her neck, legs and bottom and these were stitched under general anaesthetic. She was given round the clock care over the next five days and some of the zoo team slept in the chimp house during this time.

“Sadly Chima passed away just after midnight on Saturday, and the post mortem indicates probable cause of death was brain trauma sustained in the original attack,” he says. “Staff at Hamilton and Wellington zoos are devastated by Chima’s death. Chimpanzees are extremely intelligent and their behaviour can be unpredictable, especially when introducing them to new chimpanzees.”

Zoo vet, Mica Jensen, tried to save Chima.

“Many of us spent many late nights with Chima, often sleeping in the chimp house, and setting up a mini ICU unit to try to bring her back to us. We even placed Sally, one of the other female chimps, in the den next to Chima to encourage her to recover. It was a heart-breaking night when Chima did not wake up from her final anaesthetic.”

A team of highly trained specialists worked to keep Chima alive, and Dr Jensen passes on her thanks

“Hamilton Zoo would like to say thank you to all the veterinary and human medical specialists and staff who provided consultation, equipment and supplies often at odd hours over the Easter break, to help give her the best care we could. This included staff from Massey Vet Hospital, Wildbase, Waikato Hospital, Waikato After Hours Veterinary Hospital, Gribbles Pathology, Wellington Zoo and Braemar hospital.”

Much loved chimp, Chima, dies - Hamilton Zoo
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The attack lasted "ONLY" two minutes? 120 seconds is an extremely long time, and clearly enough to do fatal damage. Why were the keepers not able to separate them with high pressure hoses/fire extinguishers?

I'm also surprised they believed Sally and Sanda would offer support to an individual they'd known for less than two weeks against the dominant male. In a conflict, the aggressor with look to fellow chimpanzee for support (as little as making eye contact can be considered support) and this obviously occured in this situation.

Wellington Zoo must be devastated on the loss of this chimpanzee, some would have seen reared from her birth in 1994.
 
Photos on the Hamilton Zoo facebook page confirm that the Siamang Gibbons are about to get a new exhibit
 
So I made it to Hamilton Zoo this week, as part of my flying visit to new Zealand. Also went to Hobbiton, where there were heaps of wild birds, surprisingly, most of which were exotic.

Anyway, Hamilton Zoo is doing its best to catch up to Auckland Zoo prices, and is getting pretty close. Not many major changes since my last visit (September 2013), but I did pick up my first captive lifer of the year, and its pretty amazing to get one of those at a New Zealand zoo, so I was very happy.

Natives:
-This part of the zoo was looking particularly tidy, and essentially unchanged. Otago Skinks are now displayed in the reptile area, along with Green, Forest and Duvaucel's Geckos, and Robust Skinks, a rather less diverse collection than previously shown. The Kea aviary was undergoing renovation, so the four birds were in the Rainforest, inhabiting the cage that most recently held Serval. The freeflight aviary was bursting with activity, but I was just looking for one species - the Australasian Bittern. I had never seen a bittern, and it was never going to be easy to spot this recently acquired rescue bird in this huge space. I saw no sign of it the first time I went through, but the second time I was able to speak to a keeper, and she pointed out its usual whereabouts, which we watched for a while, before seeing it move around in the trees. So not a very clear view, but a sighting nevertheless.

Rainforest:
-Parrot Court has become even less parroty, which is disappointing. Having said that, Hamilton must still have the largest exotic bird collection in a New Zealand zoo. The Australian exhibit now has Cunningham's Skinks and Bearded Dragons with the Galahs, Princess Parrots and Musk Lorikeets, which does look very nice. The large aviary holds a pair of Scarlet Macaw, Sun Conures and Himalayan Monal. The row of aviaries has been renovated to include just two exhibits now, a smaller one for Cotton-top Tamarins, and a large one for a pair of Blue-and-yellow Macaws and the Pygmy Marmosets. The Molluccan Cockatoos and Masked Lovebirds are still displayed nearby in very old aviaries. Still tonnes of agouti around. The glasshouse that did have the Tamarins was now empty for an exciting new inhabitant. I think its too small for anything but reptiles. Kea have temporarily moved in to one of the cat cages, and Serval are no longer on display.

Savannah Side:
-The main exhibit is looking a little barer now, with a few trees lost, but plenty of animals on display. Hunting Dog exhibit here is empty, no signs of renovation. Didn't spot the Tapirs, but they are both still going strong apparently.

Waikato Wetlands:
-Still looking rather unloved, but plenty of waterfowl around. Female Blackbucks and Sitatunga (just saw one female) in the back paddock. Australian Shelducks chasing Black Swans.

Tigers Side:
-Saw the tiger cubs, sitting out behind mum, very nice to see. Really the Sumatran Tiger and African Wild Dog exhibits here are brilliant exhibits. No obvious signs of work on the new Siamang exhibit, which I think will be essentially a peninsula type thing, with fences on the back/sides, and part of the lake forming a moat in front (and viewed from a boardwalk over the lake). Will be very interesting to see how this looks. The lower lake had been drained, and part of the old Fallow Deer exhibit fence removed, but no other signs of construction. Saw one Fishing Cat, but not sure if this was the new one or not. Chimps quiet in the morning sun.

Overall, its been a quiet 18 months at Hamilton Zoo since my last visit. I think this largely reflects budget constraints, as there have been minor renovations, collection changes, births, and other improvements, just no new exhibits. It will be great to see how the Siamang exhibit pans out, should be great and rejuvenate that part of the zoo nicely.
 
excellent that you got to see the bittern (I'm assuming that is a full life tick, and not "just" a captive life tick?).

Are the macaws and pigmy marmosets mixed together? That sounds somewhat risky to me.
 
Chlidonias said:
excellent that you got to see the bittern (I'm assuming that is a full life tick, and not "just" a captive life tick?).
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Yes, full life tick, would have been great to get a good view.

Chlidonias said:
Are the macaws and pigmy marmosets mixed together? That sounds somewhat risky to me.
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Yup. Does seem a little odd, but presumably its working fine so far. Aren't Wellington's (some of them anyway) mixed with a Red-fronted Macaw (and Sun Conures?)? They were previously displayed with Plum-headed Parakeets.

Hamilton has lost quite a few exotic birds from display by moving the monkeys into Parrot Court, although the Scarlet Macaws are new. Lost species include Rainbow Lorikeet, Yellow-bibbed Lory, Plum-headed Parakeet, Eclectus Parrot & Bleeding-heart Pigeon.
 
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