Auckland Zoo Te Wao Nui Review

a passing mention on the facebook page says one giant weta is now on display in The Night area of Te Wao Nui
 
the blue duck pair laid a second clutch after the last lot of six eggs and these (again, six) have all now hatched. (From their facebook page).
 
on the zoo's Facebook from March it says they have bred 30 baby giant weta
 
Chlidonias said:
on the zoo's Facebook from March it says they have bred 30 baby giant weta
Click to expand...
a month later and they are up to 1000-odd baby giant weta at the zoo (with probably many hundreds more to come from eggs still waiting to hatch) :)
 
I just revisited Auckland Zoo last week. I love that zoo. Anyway, some updates on Te Wao Nui. In the nocturnal house I managed to see the short-tailed bats!! So awesome! Much bigger than I had imagined they would be in flight as well! They have a feeding station right by the window where they put mealworms, and so I got to watch two of the bats sitting there feeding. Highlight of the day - nay, of the week!!!! Lots of exclamation marks in that paragraph!

The house is much brighter-lit than when I first went there. The terrariums inside are currently housing flax snail and katydid; kauri snail and praying mantis; forest gecko (did not see); giant weta ("currently off display" sadly); and Archey's frog, which I saw one of! At least I'll assume it was a real one: that particular tank was very dark and the frog didn't move at all. I also saw a couple of kiwi - despite screaming kids :(

The islands aviary was open this visit (it was closed last time) so I saw the Antipodes parakeets but not the Campbell teal. The blue duck aviary, conversely, was closed. I still saw no weka in the kea aviary.

The wetlands aviary currently has signage for paradise duck, shoveller, scaup, grey teal, brown teal, kingfisher and white-faced heron, of which I saw all. No sign for the banded rail now, so I guess they have been removed?
 
Chlidonias said:
I just revisited Auckland Zoo last week. I love that zoo. Anyway, some updates on Te Wao Nui. In the nocturnal house I managed to see the short-tailed bats!! So awesome! Much bigger than I had imagined they would be in flight as well! They have a feeding station right by the window where they put mealworms, and so I got to watch two of the bats sitting there feeding. Highlight of the day - nay, of the week!!!! Lots of exclamation marks in that paragraph!

The house is much brighter-lit than when I first went there. The terrariums inside are currently housing flax snail and katydid; kauri snail and praying mantis; forest gecko (did not see); giant weta ("currently off display" sadly); and Archey's frog, which I saw one of! At least I'll assume it was a real one: that particular tank was very dark and the frog didn't move at all. I also saw a couple of kiwi - despite screaming kids :(

The islands aviary was open this visit (it was closed last time) so I saw the Antipodes parakeets but not the Campbell teal. The blue duck aviary, conversely, was closed. I still saw no weka in the kea aviary.

The wetlands aviary currently has signage for paradise duck, shoveller, scaup, grey teal, brown teal, kingfisher and white-faced heron, of which I saw all. No sign for the banded rail now, so I guess they have been removed?
Click to expand...

The bat and frog news is great, was the bat feeding at a special time or anything? Will have to come back and see if I can spot them both. Good that they have further illuminated that house too.

If they removed the banded rails I hope they put them in the forest aviary.
 
zooboy28 said:
The bat and frog news is great, was the bat feeding at a special time or anything? Will have to come back and see if I can spot them both. Good that they have further illuminated that house too.

If they removed the banded rails I hope they put them in the forest aviary.
Click to expand...
I was there about 10.30 for the bats. I was thinking about it afterwards and because bats need to eat a lot, they must feed soon after coming out in the morning ("evening") so early would presumably be best for viewing. If I could have seen well enough to adjust my camera settings I could have got some great photos because the feeding station is in the brightest spot at the window. Instead I just pointed and shot and the blurry mess I got is attached below (one bat in the centre and one inside the right-hand tray) :p

The signage in the forest aviary only showed waxeye, kaka, bellbird, tui and pigeon.

One thing that grates me about Te Wao Nui, and which is really its only bad point, is the lack of any scientific names on the signage. And it is doubly odd because almost every other sign in the zoo has the species' scientific names on there. It is weird.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1587.JPG
    IMG_1587.JPG
    3.7 MB · Views: 19
on the zoo's Facebook they say they have now bred over 1600 giant weta and there are currently some baby ones on display in the nocturnal house (but no adults on display).
 
from zooboy28's post in the Auckland Zoo 2013 thread: a retired pair of takahe are now on display in Te Wao Nui.
Takahē pair to make Auckland Zoo home
Thursday, 26 September 2013, 3:19 pm
Press Release: Mitre 10 Takahe Recovery

MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Takahē pair to make Auckland Zoo home

Zoo visitors will soon be able to see and learn more about one of the worlds rarest birds.

The Department of Conservation (DOC), Mitre 10 Takahē Rescue and Auckland Zoo have combined forces to relocate two older takahē from Tiritiri Matangi Island to their new home in the Zoos New Zealand precinct, Te Wao Nui.

Takahē are critically endangered, with 260 takahē known to exist and only 45 breeding pairs.

The pair of takahē coming to Auckland have been an integral part of the DOCs Takahē Recovery Programme, having produced seven chicks in nine years. Now beyond breeding age, the pair - named Ahikaea (14) and Montague (16) - will have an important advocacy role at the Zoo.

“This is the first time that Aucklanders will be able to see a bird that, from 1900 until 1948, was thought to be extinct,” says Department of Conservation Takahē Recovery Programme spokesperson, Phil Marsh. “There are other birds in mainland sanctuaries, but we believe that enabling Auckland Zoos visitors to see these unusual and endangered birds will help raise awareness of their plight and help DOCs Mitre 10 Takahē Rescue programme to ensure the species survives.”

“The takahē is so rare they often slip under the radar,” says Mitre 10 General Manager Marketing Dave Elliott. “Thats why their introduction to Auckland Zoo is a great step in ensuring this unique bird remains an iconic part of New Zealand for years to come. Having them right on the doorstep of the countrys largest population is really special and we feel incredibly privileged to be involved.”

Auckland Zoo director, Jonathan Wilcken says the pairs arrival is yet another example of what can be achieved when organisations come together to help build a future for wildlife. “Takahē are a unique part of New Zealands history and a very valuable addition to Auckland Zoo. Once they settle in, we cant wait for our visitors to come and see these critically endangered birds and encourage the ongoing protection of our unique species.” Ahikaea (14) and Montague (16) are being moved by helicopter from pest free Tiritiri Matangi Island, in Aucklands Hauraki Gulf, to Auckland Zoo on Thursday 26 September.

Takahē trivia

- There were only four recorded sightings of takahē between 1800 and 1900, then none were seen until 1948 when they were rediscovered by Dr Geoffrey Orbell in the Murchison Mountains in the Fiordland National Park. 2

- Saving takahē has involved gathering „excess eggs from the Murchison Mountains and hatching them at the Burwood Bush Takahē Rearing Unit near Te Anau. Chicks reared at the unit have been released onto pest free islands - Kapiti, Mana Maud, Motutapu and Tiritiri Matangi - safe from predators, particularly stoats. This has led to an increase in takahē numbers.

- Ahikaea was born on Tititiri Matangi and is the daughter of Greg and Pounamu who were among the first takahē released on the island. Greg was removed as an egg from the Murchison Mountains and reared at the Burwood Bush unit before moving to Tiritiri. He became famous while living on Tiritiri for numerous antics including regularly stealing visitors lunches.

- Montague was transferred to Tiritiri Matangi from Kapiti. His parents, Squeak and Taku were among the founding takahē population on Kapiti.

- Pest free islands have been a life raft for takahē. Theyve provided safe havens to increase takahē numbers. Moving the birds to different islands for breeding means the offspring are more genetically robust.
Click to expand...
 
IanRRobinson said:
Wonderful birds. So wish I could fly off to see them. After all, they can't fly off to see me...
Click to expand...

Don't get me started on the array of lovely birds that could be seen, were I able to afford to go to New Zealand :p
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Don't get me started on the array of lovely birds that could be seen, were I able to afford to go to New Zealand :p
Click to expand...
hey, you said you would swim to New Zealand if the birds could be guaranteed! The only bird that might be devilishly tricky is the kakapo, and all you need to do there is arrange it during a Sirocco show.
 
Or you arrange a swim to Codfish island. Which after the swim from Tasmania to NZ should be peanuts.
 
are we going to change his name to TasmaniaLovingDave now? I had assumed he would be swimming from England.
 
If he arranges a rowing boat and is prepared to have a break at the Dutch/Belgian coast I will join him. Although I m not sure if he will be happy to be stuck with an annoying Dutch personal for all the way around the globe.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top