Auckland Zoo The Zoo TV Series

Yay! It's official that The Zoo will be returning to TV ONE on Sunday 29th July at 7pm.

The Zoo

Sunday 29th July, 7pm

New Zealand’s family viewing favourite, The Zoo, is back!

But this time, it’s all new on The Zoo. All the action at Auckland Zoo is now shot in HD and special cameras have been installed to capture exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.

As well as catching up with the animals and their day-to-day routines, the keepers go into the field, as they release endangered birds onto islands in the Hauraki Gulf and assist with the Rena oil disaster rescue operation.

The cameras are there as tigers rip into a fresh deer hide pinata, Burma the elephant swims in a fresh lagoon, and kune kune pigs enter the lions den – literally. Young giraffe Jelani heads off over the ditch on his big OE while his mum Rukiya gives birth to his 1.8 metre-long leggy sister Nakuru.

The stunning, new native New Zealand precinct Te Wao Nui is flourishing and there’s a number of new kids on the block, including a rescued New Zealand fur seal pup and squirrel monkeys.

It's all happening this season on The Zoo.

Missed The Zoo? Full episodes are available online. Go to Latest News, Sport & Weather | TV Guide & On Demand TV Shows  | TVNZ and click ‘on demand’.
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TVNZ
TVNZ NEW SEASON 2012
 
Sunday 5th August, 7pm

What's happening in Episode 2?

Tonight, see a day in the life of the Zoo’s oldest resident, chimpanzee Janie and her devoted keeper Christine, who she’s shared a bond with for 32 years.

Giraffe Jelani gets his sea legs on a five day trip across the Tasman to meet his new herd in Australia.

And keepers are in Tauranga to help rescue wild birds as part of the emergency response during the Rena oil spill disaster.
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TVNZ
 
Last Season's Highlights

The Zoo on TV ONE

Sunday at 7pm

New Season: Catch up with your favourite critters and see what’s new at The Zoo.

Enjoyed the show? Get the DVD here

In this series we feature:

Sumatra

This series, The Zoo accompanies Auckland Zoo Primates Team Leader, Amy Dixon, and Primates keeper Carly Day - to the Sumatran Orang-utan Conservation Programme (SOCP) in Indonesia.

The Sumatran Orang-utan population is critically endangered, under threat from logging and palm oil plantations. Adult Orang-utans are routinely killed for bounties as little as 20USD and their dependant babies are left to die or be sold into the illegal pet trade. Some of these orphans are lucky enough to be rescued and brought to the SOCP centre for care and rehabilitation, with the aim of eventually releasing them into the protected Bukit Tiga Puluh National Park.

The Zoo follows Amy and Carly as they prepare two baby orang-utans, 'Hexos' and 'Anjeli', for their release back into the wild. But it's not all plain sailing! Without mothers, the youngsters haven't learned vital skills, such as how to climb trees, or forage for food - and they're looking to Amy and Carly to show them the ropes.
While at the SOCP, Amy and Carly also take a wild ride into the depths of the jungle, in search of Tamara, the first ever captive-born Orang-utan to be released back into the wild. Born at Perth Zoo, Tamara was released into the Bukit Tiga Puluh National Park four years ago, and Amy and Carly are determined to brave the leech-infested jungle to try to find her and see how she has adapted to her new life.

Tigers
The triplet tiger cubs, Cinta, Berani and Jalur are turning one year old and a big birthday bash is planned. But, as the crowds gather, the scaredy-cats start to sense that this is no ordinary day and keeper Sandra is concerned that the goodwill of the crowd might not be enough to lure the cubs out to open their presents.
Meanwhile, it's been a busy year for Mum, Molek, and as the cubs grow in size and energy, she's starting to get fed up. The keepers have a plan to give her a break - but, as always with tigers, it's not going to be easy.

Seals, Sealions and Diving in the Deep Blue Sea
Fearless Lion Keeper, Nat Sullivan, is crazy about sharks and shark conservation and wants to learn to dive. But, there's a small stumbling block for Nat - she's terrified of seals and sealions and the prospect of meeting one is stopping her from pursuing her dream of diving with sharks. Determined to overcome her fears, Nat decides to come face to face with the residents of Auckland Zoo's Sealion Shores - but when sealion keeper, Laurel, decides she should get in the pool with them, Nat starts to wonder if things have gone a bit too far!

Elephants
The Zoo's beloved matriarch - Kashin the elephant - falls ill and her keepers and the vet team are desperate to find out what is wrong with her. But a devastating decision soon becomes inevitable - and it has massive implications for the elephant team and Kashin's best friend, Burma.

Kakapo
Auckland Zoo's Senior Vet, Richard Jakob-Hoff, journeys to remote Codfish Island (west of Stewart island) to see New Zealand's native parrot - the Kakapo - in the wild. It's a rare privilege for anyone to access the quarantined island and Richard is thrilled to arrive just in time to see a chick hatch. He then treks deep into the bush in the dead of night to see kakapo on their nests, and goes in search of 'Rooster' - a former kakapo patient of Richard's, who spent time at the NZCCM vet clinic at Auckland Zoo, before returning home to the wilds of Codfish.

Baboons
Two female baboons arrive at the Zoo, but one has an unexpected surprise in store for her keepers - and soon gives birth to a tiny baby. But, amidst the celebrations, the keepers are worried. Two male baboons are due to arrive any day and they may not be quite so enchanted by the presence of a cute little interloper.

Orang-utans
The Zoo's beloved Orang-utans are splitting up, as three of the gang head off for a sunny retirement in Florida. As the primates team prepare the family for their journey, it's a particularly hard time for keeper Christine, who has shared a very special bond with female Orang-utan, Indra, for twenty-five years.

Siamangs
Iwani the Siamang Gibbon and his parents are still not seeing eye-to-eye, and taking turns in the outdoor enclosure is not ideal. So Mum and Dad are packing up and heading to a new life at Hamilton Zoo.
But, before Iwani has time to feel lonely, keeper Christine is off to Australia to find him a mate. Christine hand-raised Iwarni after his parents first rejected him as a baby, and she's excited about seeing her boy start this new chapter in his life. But, despite Christine's hopes - and the team's careful planning - there's no guarantee Iwani and the new girl will get on.

Otters
Team leader Amy is overjoyed when, after two years of living as 'just good friends', the Zoo's otter twosome finally have babies. But there's big trouble ahead for one of the cute little furry bundles.

Penguins
A NZ native Little Blue Penguin arrives at the NZCCM vet clinic with a missing flipper, after a collision with a boat propeller. Although she's alive, she'll never be able to survive in the wild. But her arrival might just be the answer to a problem at the Zoo.

Plus many more stories, featuring your favourite residents from Auckland Zoo.
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The Zoo | Television New Zealand | Entertainment | TV One, TV2, U, TVNZ 7
 
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The Zoo TV show
The ZooThe multi award-winning television show, The Zoo, all about the animals, keepers and vets here at Auckland Zoo is about to hit the small screen for an exciting 12th series.

The Zoo returns to its 7pm Sunday night slot on TV One from Sunday 29 July for 10 action-packed episodes.

NakuruFans can look forward to some great stories with both familiar and new Zoo faces of the animal and human kind. Keeper Nat and vet Craig cross the Tasman on a container ship with giraffe Jelani. New Zealand bird keeper Natalie heads to Tauranga to help wildlife affected by the Rena Oil Spill disaster. Our stunning NZ precinct, Te Wao Nui opens. And the Zoo welcomes many new arrivals - from a rescued fur seal pup, baby giraffe, meerkat pups, joeys, and a troop of very cheeky Bolivian squirrel monkeys.

The Zoo producers, Greenstone TV, say the filming of the show also has some new elements this season. It's been shot in HD. With extra cameras installed on site, the crew has also captured exclusive behind-the-scenes footage - from the birth of baby giraffe Nakuru, to porcupines nesting at night.

Go here to find out more about some of the stories coming up in season 12 of The Zoo!
The Zoo Fast Facts

The Zoo (Series 1) first screened in 1999 on TV One. Series 12 will begin screening on TV One soon!
The Zoo is produced by Greenstone TV Ltd, and now screens in over 35 countries, including Australia, Ireland, the U.K, Thailand, Belgium, Israel, USA, Russia and in countries in the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean and Scandinavia
When The Zoo show screens in New Zealand and Australia (GEM free-to-air channel) it attracts around 500,000 viewers per screening
Long-time stars of The Zoo include senior primate keeper Christine Tintinger, carnivore keeper Sandra Rice, elephant team leader Andrew Coers, primate team leader Amy Robbins, Pridelands team leader Nat Sullivan, and NZ Birds and Mammal team leader Andrew Nelson. You'll see them all back in this latest series.
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Auckland Zoo - The Zoo TV show
 
Zookeepers on The Zoo

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Some familiar faces...

Christine Tintinger

Senior primate keeper Christine Tintinger has been part of the Auckland Zoo family for over 30 years, and a regular on The Zoo show since it began in 1999.Senior primate keeper Christine Tintinger has been part of the Auckland Zoo family for over 30 years, and a regular on The Zoo show since it began in 1999.

Christine says the Zoo's chimpanzee group moving to Hamilton Zoo in 2004, hand-raising siamang gibbon Iwani in 2003, elephant Kashin's passing and the relocation of orangutuans Horst, Indra and Intan to Florida in 2009, have all been huge emotional milestones for her that have been covered by the show. "Sometimes I feel as though time has stood still, but then I realise that an enormous amount has happened and many of us, myself and chimpanzee Janie included, are all that much older, and greyer!

"What also strikes me is how much Auckland Zoo has achieved over the years, and how we've grown the conservation work we do outside the Zoo. And it's fantastic that the public can get to see so much of this through the show," says Christine. Auckland Zoo's longest-serving employee, who is lovingly 'mobbed' by New Zealand and overseas fan at almost every turn, says her favourite story for The Zoo to date has been travelling to Sumatra in 2006 to work with orangutans in the wild. "It was just incredible seeing orangutans in the wild and working on the project - an experience I can still see, feel and smell," says Christine, who spent time on the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, a project that the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund supports. Series 12 sees Christine feature in a special 'day in the life' story with chimpanzee Janie.
Amy Robbins

Primate team leader Amy Robbins has featured on almost every series of The Zoo.Primate team leader Amy Robbins has featured on almost every series of The Zoo. She says filming with Greenstone TV at the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon in West Africa in 2004 would have to be her all-time favourite story to date.

"The place and the animals were absolutely amazing, and it was great for the show to film gorillas, which we'd never shown before," says Amy, who spent six weeks at the Centre, working mainly with rescued chimpanzees.

Amy features in a number of stories in Series 12, including travelling to Wellington Zoo to meet some cheeky new charges - a troupe of eight Bolivian squirrel monkeys destined for Auckland Zoo.
Nat Sullivan

Auckland Zoo's team leader of Pridelands, Nat Sullivan with giraffe RukiyaPridelands team leader Nat Sullivan is much-loved by Australian viewers who often approach her when visiting Auckland Zoo, and there's been a lot of them this summer! Nat takes it all in her stride, and loves the fact that people get so excited about the animals that feature and the work of the Zoo. "It's really neat that people are so genuinely interested in what we do, and in individual animals, who they can really get to know well through the show," says Nat. In this new series, Nat will feature in stories about giraffe Jelani's move to Australia.
Andrew Coers

Auckland Zoo's team leader of Elephant/Sea lions, Andrew CoersAuckland Zoo's team leader of Elephant/Sea lions, Andrew Coers, has worked at Auckland Zoo for 15 years. Out on his daily walks through the Zoo grounds with elephant, Burma, he is frequently approached by members of the public who are fans of the show, and is always happy to chat. This year, Andrew will feature in stories about Burma and also the Zoo's fur seals, including new young male fur seal Atamai, who was rescued off the Raglan coast late last year, and now lives in Te Wao Nui's The Coast with our other fur seals and Californian sea lions.
Some new faces for Season 12
Bethany Jackson

Auckland Zoo's vet-in-residence Bethany JacksonAuckland Zoo's vet-in-residence Bethany Jackson makes her debut on the show this year. Along with leading a three-year research project on health and disease in kakariki on Tiritiri Matangi Island, Bethany is part of the vet team that provides day-to-day health care for our animals.
Richard Gibson

Auckland Zoo's team leader of reptiles and invertebrates, Richard GibsonThe Zoo's team leader of Reptiles and Invertebrates Richard Gibson is a newcomer to both Auckland Zoo and The Zoo show. A former curator of Herpetology for the Zoological Society of London and Chester Zoo, Richard is passionate about reptiles and amphibians. In this new series, you can see Richard and a visiting expert herpetologist from the United States carrying out tests to sex Archey's frogs - a critically endangered species held here at the Zoo.
Natalie Clark

Natalie ClarkA zookeeper on the Zoo's NZ Birds section, 28-year-old Natalie Clark's four years at Auckland Zoo have all involved working with New Zealand native species, which she loves. The Greenstone TV crew followed Natalie when she was down in Tauranga late last year helping care for marine life affected by the Rena oil spill.
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Auckland Zoo - Zookeepers on The Zoo
 
Some stories this season...

Old and new

Primates team leader Amy with our squirrel monkeysPrimate keeper Christine spends a day with much-loved Zoo matriarch, 58-year-old chimpanzee Janie - who she's known for 32 years!

Primate team leader Amy Robbins travels to Wellington Zoo to meet her mischievous new squirrel monkey troop, and a young fur seal pup makes quite a splash at The Coast.
Te Wao Nui

Kea in Te Wao Nui. Photo credit: Brian CairnsThe crew go behind the scenes in the lead-up to the opening of the stunning new multi-million dollar New Zealand precinct, Te Wao Nui - where some cheeky kea can be relied upon to cause mischief.
Giraffe moves

Giraffe Jelani travels through Mt Eden village on the way to the port for his big O.E.Young bull giraffe Jelani embarks on his big O.E. - crossing the Tasman by container ship with keeper Nat and vet Craig, destined for a new life at Werribee Open Range Zoo in Australia.

Hot on the heels of Jelani's departure, female giraffe Kiraka arrives from Taronga Zoo. Jelani's mum Rukiya is pregnant again, and after a long line of boys, keepers are hoping her January delivery will be a girl.
In the wild

Keeper Natalie Clark in Tauranga helping wildlife affected by the Rena Oil Spill disasterMore and more, keepers are using their skills to help animals in the wild. Michelle Whybrow joins the team rounding up young adult kiwi at night on Motuora Island. NZ Birds and Mammals team leader Andrew Nelson helps release endangered shore birds onto Motutapu Island. Keeper Natalie Clark heads to Tauranga to help wildlife affected by the Rena Oil Spill disaster, and Reptile and Invertebrate keepers Richard Gibson and Julie Underwood go bush to monitor endangered Archey's frogs in the Whareorino Forest.
Adventures with Burma

Asian elephant Burma on a hill climbing adventure.Elephant team leader Andrew Coers and his fellow keepers are constantly coming up with activities to keep Burma active and challenged - like taking a plunge in the lagoon and a hill climbing adventure.
Big cats in action

The cheetahs embark on some early morning walkaboutsTigers Molek and Berani get their taste buds challenged with a meat-lover's piñata and the cheetahs embark on some early morning walkabouts. Plus, there's a tiger with a toothache - Molek's root canal is dentistry on a huge scale!
Highs and lows

Four meerkat pups at Auckland Zoo. Photo credit: Brian Cairns.Shiloh the zebra has a mysterious life-threatening illness. Maya the red panda has lost her appetite and Doris the alligator can't open her jaw.

Meerkat mum Mosi shows off her new pups, the baby joeys are in full spring and Madju, Charlie, Juanita and Melur get some added bounce for Orangutan Caring Week.
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Auckland Zoo - Season 12 stories
 
zooboy28 said:
That was last season.

This season does look good though, several interesting stories: Doris' jaw and the porcupines sound intriguing. I wonder if it is because of this TV show that Auckland Zoo tends to release fewer news stories in other media than other zoos, particularly Wellington.
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Whoops! Thanks for letting me know. I edited it to say last season's highlights, as I can't delete it.

I'm really looking forward to the series returning, as it was on a break for about 2 years.
 
Well, six episodes of the zoo show have aired, with the most notable stories previously unmentioned here being the attempted breeding of the Galapagos Tortoises. The death of elderly zebra mare Shiloh was also covered. Otherwise, stories have mostly involved routine vet checks, enrichment and husbandry, and well-publicised events, such as export and import of giraffes.

So far I have only cried once, and that was when keeper Christine herself cried when talking about the hypothetical death of chimpanzee Janie.

Although I almost cried tonight too, because they have abruptly stopped airing the show, and given no indication of when it will return. Typically useless TVNZ. :mad:
 
yes I have a very upset 9 year old as she just sat down to watch it on tv1 plus 1 and its not on she's now stomped upstairs to watch her zoo dvds
 
zooboy28 said:
Well, six episodes of the zoo show have aired, with the most notable stories previously unmentioned here being the attempted breeding of the Galapagos Tortoises. The death of elderly zebra mare Shiloh was also covered. Otherwise, stories have mostly involved routine vet checks, enrichment and husbandry, and well-publicised events, such as export and import of giraffes.

So far I have only cried once, and that was when keeper Christine herself cried when talking about the hypothetical death of chimpanzee Janie.

Although I almost cried tonight too, because they have abruptly stopped airing the show, and given no indication of when it will return. Typically useless TVNZ. :mad:
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When did Shiloh exactly die?
 
Update: There are four more episodes to air later this year. I hate it when they split up seasons like this, it is so annoying.
 
zooboy28 said:
Update: There are four more episodes to air later this year. I hate it when they split up seasons like this, it is so annoying.
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The final four episodes are expected to air in December this year. I wish that they had aired them on Saturday at 7pm, before starting the new Annabel Langbein series.
 
The Zoo UK

For those of you who are interested in ZSL, the UK version of The Zoo will premiere on Sunday 30th September at 4.55pm as part of 'Our World'.

TVNZ

Our World: The Zoo

Sunday 30th September, 4.55 pm

TV ONE's Our World explores the world’s oldest zoo in its new series, The Zoo.

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which invented the word "zoo", has a collection of more than 21,000 wild animals at its two sites – London and Whipsnade.

Our World: The Zoo reveals what it means to be part of ZSL’s dedicated team of 800 staff, which includes some of the world’s best vets. The ZSL’s conservation department also works in 50 different countries around the world to protect wild animals and their habitats.

See the efforts of ZSL staff to re-introduce animals to the wild, including the release of a bird that has not been seen or heard in England for more than a decade.

Follow the emotionally intense, and at times heartbreaking experiences of the devoted keepers who inevitably become very close to the animals in their care.
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driftaguy said:
The final four episodes are expected to air in December this year. I wish that they had aired them on Saturday at 7pm, before starting the new Annabel Langbein series.
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December!

How ridiculous. No one watches TV at 7pm in December.

Yes, that would have been a good idea driftaguy, or they could have moved Sunday to the 7pm Saturday slot for four weeks, but that might have confused everyone...:D
 
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