Hamilton Zoo Hamilton Zoo News 2023

New Predator Pest Exhibit Opens

Pests on display: New zoo enclosure to educate on threats | Hamilton City Council

A new enclosure open now at Hamilton Zoo will underline the importance of managing pests to protect native species. Designed in the style of a classic tramping hut, the New Zealand Pest Exhibit is home to three ferrets, which are classified as introduced predators in Aotearoa.

The enclosure has the potential to accommodate different pest species over time, such as possums and rats.
 
antilio capra said:
Amazing! its always good to see exhibts bring light to the threat of invasive species. Especially in places with endemics.
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It’s certainly a novel idea within New Zealand’s main zoos. The exhibit links to Hamilton’s native precinct, which contains a new Blue duck aviary, Long-fin eel pond, a native frog breeding facility and numerous geckos and skinks. Further along is the freeflight aviary.

It’ll be interesting to see public engagement with the exhibit; but I think by identifying ferrets as their initial focus species, it’ll be better received than had they chosen rats or possums.
 
We managed to call into Hamilton zoo today, the new pest exhibit is quite pleasing with good views of the ferrets and nicely themed, but there was not much buzz at all around it with the public while we were there. There are some very small tank-like exhibits to the side which I presume will house mice/rats in the future?

Otherwise the zoo is looking good, had a nice buzz and the animals were absolutely putting on their best display for the public. Still a lot of work to do but it feels like an improvement on recent years.
 
Zoofan15 said:
New Predator Pest Exhibit Opens

Pests on display: New zoo enclosure to educate on threats | Hamilton City Council

A new enclosure open now at Hamilton Zoo will underline the importance of managing pests to protect native species. Designed in the style of a classic tramping hut, the New Zealand Pest Exhibit is home to three ferrets, which are classified as introduced predators in Aotearoa.

The enclosure has the potential to accommodate different pest species over time, such as possums and rats.
Click to expand...
An initiative long overdue certainly in a nation dealing with a considerable group of invasive species impactiving native wildlife.

Further potential pest animals: cats, dogs, pigs, goats, stoat, kiore, brown and black rats, possums, red, fallow, rusa, sika sambar white-tailed deer, wapiti, chamois, thar ... and that is just the larger mammals.
 
Matt_C said:
We managed to call into Hamilton zoo today, the new pest exhibit is quite pleasing with good views of the ferrets and nicely themed, but there was not much buzz at all around it with the public while we were there. There are some very small tank-like exhibits to the side which I presume will house mice/rats in the future?

Otherwise the zoo is looking good, had a nice buzz and the animals were absolutely putting on their best display for the public. Still a lot of work to do but it feels like an improvement on recent years.
Click to expand...

On the whole, I too was impressed with the developments at Hamilton Zoo. The Rainforest precinct remains an most outdated collection of exhibits; but their focus on revitalising other areas of the zoo will reap the rewards. I look forward to the import of Spotted hyena and hope to see Clouded leopard in the next few years.

The farmyard is apparently their upcoming focus. Linking in with what @Kifaru Bwana said about educating people on invasive species, I’d like to see the zoo take this approach to the precinct (even if it lessens the interactive aspect). The zoo modelling a working farm concept is overdone and frankly underwhelming for anyone who’s actually been to a working farm. Instead they have the opportunity to create something groundbreaking with pigs and deer species.
 
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