Wellington Zoo Wellington Zoo News 2014

Wellington Zoo have announced the names of the two female Caracals on their Facebook page:

The people have voted, and our two Caracal sisters have names – meet Tinka and Jasiri!

These 11-month old cats are still getting used to their new environment at Wellington Zoo, but are keen to explore and are getting more and more confident by the day. These sisters find a lot of comfort in each other's company and enjoy chilling out together. See if you can spot them in Grassland Cats, next door to their Serval neighbours!
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One of Wellington Zoo's elderly pair of Asian Short-clawed Otters, the male Bud has been euthanised today, and his mate Jem is being sent to Brooklands Zoo in new Plymouth, leaving Wellington with no otters.

From Wellington Zoo's Facebook page:

Zoo staff and volunteers are saddened today after the loss of our male Asian Short-clawed Otter, Bud.

14-year-old Bud was diagnosed with arthritis in May and treated by the vet team in The Nest Te Kōhanga. After his conditioned worsened, and pain relief was no longer effective, the choice was made to humanely euthanise him.

Bud shared his habitat with one female, Jem. Otters are social animals, so Jem will move to Brooklands Zoo in New Plymouth this week to be housed with their Otters.
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This really leaves Wellington Zoo's entry exhibits empty - there are three enclosures, and with the passing of NZ's only peccarys a few years ago they now hold a small number of little blue penguins and some kune kune pigs, so it seems now is an ideal time to bulldoze the cramped entry and create something new and exciting.

Its sad that Wellington now has no otters, hopefully they can bring anew group in and set up a new enclosure for them - perhaps closer to the other Asian animals.
 
Fiordland Crested Penguin

Wellington Zoo is cuurently caring for a Fiordland Crested Penguin.

Story & photos on the Zoo's Facebook page.

Our vet team in The Nest Te Kōhanga are currently looking after a very special patient – a Fiordland Crested Penguin named Gary.

This juvenile bird has severe foot and cloaca wounds, and we suspect he was attacked by a seal. During a general anaesthetic yesterday the vet team took some x-rays, blood samples, gave him a good check over and cleaned his wounds.

Fiordland Crested Penguins are one of NZ's rarest mainland penguins – the current population is between 2500 and 3000 breeding pairs and has been in decline since the 1950s, so it's a real privilege to be able to care for this young bird.
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zooboy28 said:
Wellington Zoo is cuurently caring for a Fiordland Crested Penguin.

Story & photos on the Zoo's Facebook page.
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It is nice to see NZ zoos looking after injured native penguins!

I really really do think that for species like the Fiordland cresteds and others threatened sub-Antarctic species that occur locally captive assurance colonies or even some bird equivalent of head-starting young penguins to augment wild numbers more quickly would be a wise / easily defendable policy move (aka sea lions and Hooker's discussion elsewhere ...).
 
Tygo said:
Keza the Chimpanzee gave birth to her first baby early yesterday morning.
https://www.facebook.com/WgtnZoo
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The baby has been named and sexed - its a boy:

In exciting news, our keepers have confirmed that Keza's baby is a boy – and, what's more, Dr Jane Goodall herself has named the newest member of our Chimpanzee troop!

Meet Kitwe (pronounced Kit-way). Dr Goodall explains the origins of the name:

"Kitwe is an area just to the south of Gombe that was denuded of trees, but which is now a lovely forest. It is now filled with monkeys and other forest creatures. Proof of the resilience of nature. The view from Kitwe point is stunning, to north and south along the lake and, in rainy season, you can see the hills of KRC over the lake."

We at Wellington Zoo love working together with the Jane Goodall Institute, so this is a real joy and honour.

Welcome to the world, young Kitwe!
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-from Facebook.
 
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