Auckland Zoo Auckland Zoo History

[steveroberts]

 

[Zoofan15]

Wow, what a great find!

A few highlights:

0.02: One of the zoo’s Galapagos giant tortoises (then aged 19-21 years).

0.10: A Chinese red panda. Auckland Zoo didn’t acquire Nepalese red panda until 1992.

0.12: Lucifer the chimpanzee as an infant, riding on the back of his mother, Lucy.

0.13: Kiri the giraffe and her new calf.

0.20: Sally the chimpanzee

0.22 Southern white rhinoceros Sesheka (left) and Mandhla

0.23: A thriving herd of Grant’s zebra.

 

[Zoofan15]

Auckland Zoo Annual Report

A copy of the Sixth Edition of the Auckland Zoo’s guidebook. From the content within, it appears to have been published around October 1959; with a mistake of Kassala the elephant still reported to have been at the zoo (she was sold 1957, with Malini arriving 1961).
https://archive.org/details/auckland-zoo-6th-edition/page/n32/mode/1up?view=theater
The Auckland City Council Zoological Park : Auckland City Council : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
https://archive.org/details/auckland-zoo-6th-edition/page/n32/mode/1up?view=theater
Some of the highlights:

Page 11 - Photo of Turvey the orangutan.

Page 12/13 - History of zoo’s Chacma baboon and photo of mother with young. The zoo’s baboons were noted to have been gifted by Taronga Zoo, implying the baboons had come to the zoo that decade.

Page 23 - The zoo had cross-bred bears (Brown bear with Himalayan ancestry). Other bears held at the zoo were Brown bear, American black bear, Malayan sun bear and of course, Polar bear. There was zero mention of Chimo the Polar bear (born May 1960), which means I’m confident in dating this guidebook to have been published prior to this date as such a significant zoological achievement wouldn’t have gone unmentioned.

Page 31 - photo of Nada the Common hippopotamus and her new calf (Snorkel).

Page 34/35 - Map of the zoo.

Page 36 - Photo of Indian elephants Jamuna and Kassala.

Page 61 - Central Lake.

 

[Jambo]

I found an episode of 'Suzy's Big Day Out' filmed at Auckland Zoo circa early 1999.

Highlights:

0.44 - Mountain Lion? - if so, did not know Auckland had one that recent.
0.46 - Chacma Baboons
0.56 - Old Camel Enclosure
1.10 - Cotton Top Tamarins with Christine
3.46 - A keeper riding Burma the elephant
7.06 - Hippo chat with a young Andrew Coers
8.44 - Bornean Orangutan chat
9.56 - Galapagos Tortoises
12.43 - Lion chat on the new Lion Hill - featuring young Tonyi and Tombo
17.55 - Kashin and Burma the elephants grazing on the hill

Suzy's Big Day Out - Episodes and Excerpts | Television | NZ On Screen

 

[Zoofan15]

I found an episode of 'Suzy's Big Day Out' filmed at Auckland Zoo circa early 1999.

Highlights:

0.44 - Mountain Lion? - if so, did not know Auckland had one that recent.
0.46 - Chacma Baboons
0.56 - Old Camel Enclosure
1.10 - Cotton Top Tamarins with Christine
3.46 - A keeper riding Burma the elephant
7.06 - Hippo chat with a young Andrew Coers
8.44 - Bornean Orangutan chat
9.56 - Galapagos Tortoises
12.43 - Lion chat on the new Lion Hill - featuring young Tonyi and Tombo
17.55 - Kashin and Burma the elephants grazing on the hill

Suzy's Big Day Out - Episodes and Excerpts | Television | NZ On Screen

Thanks for sharing. This would have been filmed in the first half of 1998. African lions Tonyi and Tombo were born March 1996 and were mentioned to be around 24 months of age.

The Common hippopotamus and Chacma baboon are still in their old exhibits. They’d move across in 1999 (with only Snorkel renaming in the old exhibit long term).

Southern white rhinoceros Mandhla is still in his old exhibit. He moved across in 1998 (presumably the second half). The first phase of Pridelands was giraffe/Grant’s zebra; Southern white rhinoceros /Springbok (which also had access to the giraffe paddock); and African lions.

It was great to see old footage of the orangutans! I recall Charlie having decent sized flanges by 2000 episodes of The Zoo, but here he is just two years prior at 17 years old with budding cheek pads (9.04). Isim (approaching his fourth birthday) is seen sitting on the floor of the playroom room at 9.26; and nine year old Intan is seen at 9.38. Indra is seen at 8.45 and that looks like Dara at 9.22. I’ll tag @ApeLadyNZ who would surely enjoy seeing them.

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

Thanks for sharing. This would have been filmed in the first half of 1998. African lions Tonyi and Tombo were born March 1996 and were mentioned to be around 24 months of age.

The Common hippopotamus and Chacma baboon are still in their old exhibits. They’d move across in 1999 (with only Snorkel renaming in the old exhibit long term).

Southern white rhinoceros Mandhla is still in his old exhibit. He moved across in 1998 (presumably the second half). The first phase of Pridelands was giraffe/Grant’s zebra; Southern white rhinoceros /Springbok (which also had access to the giraffe paddock); and African lions.

It was great to see old footage of the orangutans! I recall Charlie having decent sized flanges by 2000 episodes of The Zoo, but here he is just two years prior at 17 years old with budding cheek pads (9.04). Isim (approaching his fourth birthday) is seen sitting on the floor of the playroom room at 9.26; and nine year old Intan is seen at 9.38. Indra is seen at 8.45 and that looks like Dara at 9.22. I’ll tag @ApeLadyNZ who would surely enjoy seeing them.

Thanks for this, @Jambo and @Zoofan15 ! Looks awesome - I am particularly looking forward to seeing young Charlie!