Auckland Zoo Auckland Zoo News 2017

Auckland Zoo Trip Report - 11/3/17

I visited Auckland Zoo yesterday despite the poor weather and found some interesting bits of information and updates I wanted to share. :)

Probably the most interesting thing I found was some concept art for the zoo's upcoming development "Wild Indonesia". It was covering the window looking down into the old chimpanzee exhibit where the zoo's remaining macaques have been displayed recently.
Wild Indonesia Concept Art

Wild Indonesia Concept Art

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Auckland Zoo Trip Report - On Page 1 here...
Wild Indonesia Concept Art

Wild Indonesia Concept Art

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Auckland Zoo Trip Report - On Page 1 here...
Wild Indonesia Concept Art

Wild Indonesia Concept Art

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Auckland Zoo Trip Report - On Page 1 here...
It shows a concept of what we could expect from a mixed orangutan and siamang gibbon exhibit. Viewing into the old chimp exhibit (from both above and at ground level) is completely blocked now by this new art and the four other animal info posters which have already been posted on this topic.
The current orangutan exhibit is looking very old and tired; the big green wall surrounded the enclosure looks really horrible and dated.
Orangutan Exhibit 2017

Orangutan Exhibit 2017

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Auckland Zoo Trip Report - On Page 1 here...
Good thing it's due to be demolished very soon! Exciting times ahead!

Now a few things from the new Australian development. A small area is blocked off by a fence at the northern end (closest to Old Mill Road, by the lorikeet aviary) in the walkabout area with the wallabies and emus. There is some large wooden beams in the ground as well. Any ideas what it could be for?
Aussie Walkabout - Construction?

Aussie Walkabout - Construction?

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Auckland Zoo Trip Report - On Page 1 here...
I also had a quick look at construction of the new brolga exhibit but didn't notice much progress since my last visit on opening day of Strangely Beautiful Australia.
Brolga Exhibit Construction

Brolga Exhibit Construction

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Auckland Zoo Trip Report - On Page 1 here...

Two flamingos were sitting on their nests on my visit, (which they have built up very high!) Both stood up at one stage so I caught a glimpse of their eggs. Hopefully more flamingo chicks coming soon!
Flamingo Egg

Flamingo Egg

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Auckland Zoo Trip Report - On Page 1 here...

And lastly the zoo's new giraffe calf Kabili was out on exhibit with mum, Kiraka for the morning.
Auckland Zoo's New Giraffe Calf, Kabili

Auckland Zoo's New Giraffe Calf, Kabili

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Auckland Zoo Trip Report - On Page 1 here...
Auckland Zoo's New Giraffe Calf, Kabili

Auckland Zoo's New Giraffe Calf, Kabili

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Auckland Zoo Trip Report - On Page 1 here...
Very cute indeed! She was galloping around chasing the zebras and ostriches! :D
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
A really large number in the off exhibit.
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Similar to Hamilton Zoo. They have just one male on display, Hendrix (born 1986), and a breeding group of four tuatara off display. They were imported in the early 90s and have produced at least three batches of successful eggs, including 10 hatchlings which were released most recently in 2014.
 
It appears Auckland zoo are having problems with the import of their 2rd elephant cow from Sri Lanka with a AR group putting a halt to any movement at this time. I would of thought if possible it would of been better to bring in the two at the same time rather than at different times, hope things get sorted for them soon.
 
Zorro said:
It appears Auckland zoo are having problems with the import of their 2rd elephant cow from Sri Lanka with a AR group putting a halt to any movement at this time. I would of thought if possible it would of been better to bring in the two at the same time rather than at different times, hope things get sorted for them soon.
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It’s been a very long road to get these elephants over here. I believe plans to bring in a companion (Anjalee) for Burma took 6 years, after the initial search started in 2009. I remember reading press releases describing Nandi (then 4 years old) as a baby elephant and how they hoped she’d arrive in 2016. Due to the lengthy logistics and negotiations in importing her, she is now 6 years old and heading into adolescence. I have no doubt she will fit in well with Burma and Anjalee who formed an almost instant friendship.

Auckland Zoo say this on their website in response to whether it will cost more to import Anjalee and Nandi separately:

Yes, but not to a significant degree. There are a number of one-off set-up costs which won't need to be replicated for a second elephant. We have also achieved sufficient savings in other areas against the original budget to cover any additional transport costs. No additional ratepayer funding will be needed.

There is no explanation as to why they couldn’t have been imported together in 2015, but my guess is that Anjalee was in a less complicated situation as she had been identified for transfer before Nandi (the adoption process was further along), Anjalee was older and her and her mother were being bullied in their current herd so there was less reasons animal rights groups could find to justify why her remaining at the orphanage would be more beneficial than her export to Auckland Zoo. The aim of the elephant project at Auckland Zoo initially was to import a new female asap to fulfil Burma’s social and emotional needs as she’d been without a companion for several years by then. Importing Anjalee alone was the quickest way to address this issue.
 
I agree. With two imports at different times only gives the AR group another go at making problems, I hope Auckland zoo get on top of it soon. Every cow in the region is a plus!
 
Auckland Zoo's Rothschild male giraffe Zabulu, unfortunately had to be euthanised this morning. :( Very sad news; he fathered 15 giraffe calves in his life!

From Facebook:

We are extremely sad to share with you that our much-loved elderly male giraffe Zabulu had to be euthanised earlier today.

19-year-old Zabulu had been unwell over the past week but deteriorated rapidly yesterday. Despite the great efforts of all involved, Zabulu's welfare and quality of life could not be maintained, making euthanasia the kindest and only option.

Zabulu, our gentle giant, was an iconic member of the Auckland Zoo family who fathered 15 giraffe calves and won thousands of zoo visitors' hearts one carrot or piece of celery at a time.

Our thoughts go out to all our staff, volunteers, and everyone who loved Zabulu – and would like to thank our incredible team of Pridelands keepers and vet team for their hard work and dedication to Zabulu over the years.
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Male Giraffe Zabulu has died:

Auckland Zoo's much loved giraffe Zabulu dies

Auckland Zoo's much-loved elderly giraffe Zabulu has died after falling ill.

The 19-year-old giraffe been unwell over the past week but deteriorated rapidly on Tuesday.

Despite efforts Zabulu's welfare and quality of life could not be maintained and he was euthanised on Wednesday, Auckland Zoo said.

Zabulu was an iconic member of the zoo who fathered 15 giraffe calves and won the hearts of thousands of visitors, the zoo said.

"Our thoughts go out to all our staff, volunteers, and everyone who loved Zabulu – and would like to thank our incredible team of Pridelands keepers and vet team for their hard work and dedication to Zabulu over the years," the zoo said.

Three giraffes now remain at the zoo, Kabili and adult females Rukiya and Kiraka.

In February this year, the zoo's 15-month-old giraffe Mtundu left Auckland for a new life at Mogo Zoo on the southern coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Following Zabulu's death, all zoos in New Zealand zoos now hold single sex herds of giraffe: Hamilton (bulls) and Auckland, Wellington and Orana Wildlife Park (cows).
 
My apologies @ZooBoyNZ, I was so tired when I posted my post above, I did not see you had already posted the news of Zabulu's death on here. My post is from a different source but save for the information I posted at the bottom, adds no more information than what you already posted so my apologies. :oops: Too bad we can't delete posts on this thing after an hour of it being on here.
 
Auckland Zoo visitors evacuated after smoke:

Auckland Zoo visitors evacuated after smoke - National - NZ Herald News

Visitors to Auckland Zoo's kiwi enclosure the "Night Forest" were evacuated today after staff smelled smoke through the building.

Three fire appliances and the hazardous materials unit attended after the chemical smell was noticed.

No fire was found and fire officers later discovered there was a leak in a refrigeration unit.

Jooles Clements from Auckland Zoo said visitors were evacuated immediately.

"As soon as staff noticed the smell they have evacuated the building and followed the safety process," he said.

"The fire service have discovered the smell was coming from a refrigeration unit in the Night Forest but have said it is inert and there is no danger to people or animals."

Fire Service northern communications shift manager Jaron Phillips said the fire service were called at 1.42pm after the smell was noticed.

The zoo is part of a valuable kiwi rehabilitation programme that has seen 300 eggs taken from the wild, hatched in captivity and reintroduced to their natural habitat.

There are currently two pair of brown kiwi housed in the enclosure.
 
Auckland Zoo's Animal Budget:

Auckland Zoo's animal budget - $3.2m on elephants, $120k on giant wetas

From enormous elephants to giant wetas, running one of New Zealand's top zoos requires an equally hefty budget.

Not including a multi-million dollar elephant deal, the Auckland Zoo has an annual allowance of $125,000 to spend on all animal movements.

And with a focus on education and conservation, rather than entertainment, the zoo racks up even higher figures on being ecologically responsible.

The 95-year-old zoo forked out $120,000 over recent years for its giant weta programme, but it's most costly translocation in the past year has been an aquarium full of exotic fish.

More than $20,000 ($19,200 excluding GST) was spent acquiring 1000 Australian rainbow fish for the new Strangely Beautiful Australia exhibition.

Kevin Buley, head of life sciences at Auckland Zoo, said the brightly coloured tropical fish proved to be the one of the most expensive translocations in recent times, but the least expensive on an individual basis, with the fish costing just $20 each.

The most expensive individual award goes to Anjalee the 1.7-tonne Asian elephant.

The eight-year-old pachyderm from Sri Lanka moved in with housemate Burma in July 2015, as part of a $3.2 million elephant acquisition project.

And from the very big to the ridiculously cute, Buley said a male golden lion tamarin, Alonzo, was one of the most expensive individual mammal imports in the year to date.

An estimated $5000 was spent on his transition from Mogo Zoo in New South Wales to Auckland - which included his food, crate, permits, quarantines and check-up costs.

And riding on the back of this fluffy little munchkin comes the hopes for the survival of his critically endangered species.

Once he has completed his post-import quarantine period, he'll be paired with a single female, Frida, already at the zoo and hopefully sire many cute baby tamarins.

But that's not the only stud looking to grace the Auckland Zoo this year.

A primate keeper just flew to Toronto Zoo to meet a potential new male breeding spider monkey - the trip cost $3000.

This was a necessity as spider monkeys have complex social hierarchies, so extra consideration was needed to make sure he would fit in with the rest of the group.

The successful scouting mission means that the transition will go ahead, at a total cost of $7000 to acquire the monkey.

"He will bring fresh genes to the regional Australasian spider monkey breeding programme which is essential to the long-term success of this initiative," Buley said.

Additional projects include releasing native species back into the wild and have a total $1.5m price tag.

It comes in the form of staff hours and resources the Auckland Zoo contributes annually to national and international wildlife conservation.

Such projects include re-establishing giant weta on Hauraki Gulf islands.

The gentle giant, which can reach the size of the common sparrow, was once classed as a threatened species due to habitat loss and introduced mammalian predators.

But due to the large-scale breeding programme, more than 2000 giant weta have been released into the wild at a cost of about $120,000, or $40-$80 each, depending on the size of the individual.

Another programme aims to reduce the risk of extinction risk for Archey's frog, one of New Zealands four surviving frog species.

The zoo caught, translocated, quarantined, screened, sexed, bred and re-released a total of 60 frogs, at about $483 each - coming to a total of $29,000 for the whole programme.
 
More than $20,000 ($19,200 excluding GST) was spent acquiring 1000 Australian rainbow fish for the new Strangely Beautiful Australia exhibition.

Kevin Buley, head of life sciences at Auckland Zoo, said the brightly coloured tropical fish proved to be the one of the most expensive translocations in recent times, but the least expensive on an individual basis, with the fish costing just $20 each.
Click to expand...
wow, that has to be one of the biggest wastes of money to be proud of. For a fraction of that cost they could have bought twenty rainbowfish and bred a thousand.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I am sure you all are happy with the new blood spider monkey in!
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it is good, but there have been several individuals imported in recent years from Australia, Europe and the USA (including at least 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014) so they are in a better situation than, say, capuchins.
 
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