Wellington Zoo Wellington Zoo News 2015

Gigit said:
I was there for a couple of hours on 22 November. There wasn't time for an in-depth look around and it was my first and only visit. I got the impression of a very attractive zoo but with not many species, some with just one individual represented. Maybe I didn't look hard enough? I'll upload some photos eventually.
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Oh, we could have organised a meet up there if I'd known :)

I think almost all the species are represented by multiple individuals, but with a couple of exceptions (e.g. pelican). Did you get around the whole zoo? The species list is not huge, but pretty good for a NZ zoo. :D
 
zooboy28 said:
Oh, we could have organised a meet up there if I'd known :)

I think almost all the species are represented by multiple individuals, but with a couple of exceptions (e.g. pelican). Did you get around the whole zoo? The species list is not huge, but pretty good for a NZ zoo. :D
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I was on a coach tour so my time wasn't my own and I couldn't really plan anything eg I'd liked to have visited the gorillas at Orana Park but it just wasn't possible.

Looking at my photos, I see I might have been a bit harsh in commenting on numbers of individuals :o I think there were just two female giraffes and most of the baboons were males? I did cover the whole zoo, but not in as much depth as I'd have liked.
 
Gigit said:
Looking at my photos, I see I might have been a bit harsh in commenting on numbers of individuals :o I think there were just two female giraffes and most of the baboons were males? I did cover the whole zoo, but not in as much depth as I'd have liked.
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yes, two female giraffes. The baboons have a pretty even split in sexes.
 
I'll be visiting Wellington Zoo for the first time this weekend. It will also be my first time flying, so that should be interesting! I should have a whole day to spend at the zoo. Does anyone have tips/advice for visiting, especially for first timers?
 
driftaguy said:
I'll be visiting Wellington Zoo for the first time this weekend. It will also be my first time flying, so that should be interesting! I should have a whole day to spend at the zoo. Does anyone have tips/advice for visiting, especially for first timers?
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find out the times for which/if any animals will be being treated at the hospital - they often have interesting things to see (viewable through the windows). They used to have a board at the entrance with times and species for the day, otherwise I guess ask at reception when you arrive.
 
driftaguy said:
I'll be visiting Wellington Zoo for the first time this weekend. It will also be my first time flying, so that should be interesting! I should have a whole day to spend at the zoo. Does anyone have tips/advice for visiting, especially for first timers?
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It's a very straightforward zoo to explore, nothing hidden away really - its all on the map. You can miss the central viewing area for the Gibbons and Spider Monkeys/Capuchins if you go through the Nocturnal House, as this is between the entrance and exit of that building. Also check out the lizard exhibits behind the Tuck Shop, they could potentially be missed. Otherwise everything should be obvious. Keen to hear your thoughts on Wellington after you've visited!
 
there's also a pigmy marmoset enclosure inside the cafe at the entrance (if it is still there).
 
One of Wellington Zoo's male chimpanzees, Temba, has been put to sleep.

Update from the Zoo's Facebook page:

Temba, one of our male Chimpanzees, had surgery on Saturday following an altercation with alpha male Marty. He was attended by our veterinary team at The Nest Te Kōhanga and had surgery to repair his leg wounds. Unfortunately, there were complications during the recovery and Temba was euthanised on Saturday night. While we are still waiting for the full results from the post-mortem examination, it appears that Temba had existing health complications which would have prevented a full recovery from surgery.

Chimpanzees have a complex social structure, and they tend to hide symptoms of illness to keep their place in the social structure which means he hadn’t shown any outward signs or symptoms of illness beforehand.

We thank our Veterinary and Animal Care teams for all the work they did on Temba’s behalf.
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An article on Temba's death.

Full story here: Wellington Zoo chimpanzee Temba dies during surgery after clash with alpha male Marty | Stuff.co.nz

A chimp that hid his physical frailty to "show a strong front" has died after fighting with Wellington Zoo's alpha male.

Now the troop is coming to terms with the death of Temba the chimp, and have even been shown his body to allow them to understand he is gone.

Temba, the second in command in the 13-strong troop, never woke up from surgery on his leg after it was torn open by Marty in a fight on Saturday.

Zoo life science manager Paul Horton said the gash, behind his knee and possibly from a bite, was so serious staff decided he needed an urgent operation.

The surgery went well but it was when vets tried to wake him up, Temba's vital signs started to crash, he said.

Vets tried to revive him for about an hour but were eventually forced to euthanise the chimp.

Horton said now the troop were aware of the gap in their ranks, and they were "subdued" after the weekend.

"You can imagine the chimpanzees are very much like you and I. They're incredibly intelligent and their social environment is incredibly important to them."

Staff showed Temba's body to the troop after he was euthanised, so they got "a bit of an understanding of the loss, and that he wasn't with them anymore, before he was taken away".

Horton said Temba had been positioned as "2IC" in the troop for quite a while - providing a good support for Marty.

"We were quite happy to see how he was going, and interested as well to see how he was going politically."

Before Saturday, the zoo was home to a troop of 13 chimpanzees, which was one of the largest in Australasia.

Horton said on Saturday the fight might have been either rough and tumble that got out of hand, or a direct challenge by Temba for the number one spot.

"Because it was Temba there's a chance it was some kind of positioning challenge to Marty. These guys are pretty strong, and physically very capable."

Post mortem results showed there might have been underlying health problems that contributed to the death.

Temba might well have hidden any illness, Horton said, to keep his place in the social structure.

"Chimps...will try to show a strong front in order to not compromise themselves socially...it's what it's all about, especially for a young male."

Both chimps were born in the zoo, with Temba aged 21 and at the peak of his physical powers, and Marty aged 28, Horton said
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Wellington Zoo has received a new male Red Panda from Auckland Zoo.
https://wellingtonzoo.com/news/meet-our-new-red-panda/
Meet our new Red Panda
22 December 2015

We're delighted to welcome Sundar, a one-year-old male Red Panda, who has travelled to the capital from Auckland Zoo to join the international conservation breeding programme for the endangered species.
Sundar 22 news

We’re thrilled to have Sundar here as a mate for Khusi, our young female, and this confident young Panda has a very laidback nature.

He’s been settling in really well, and having a great time exploring his surroundings and getting to know his new housemate. We slowly introduced them to each other and you can now see them outside together in the Red Panda habitat, next door to Ishah and Manasa!

We've got high hopes that Sundar and Khusi will continue to get on well. Our current main focus is making sure they’re comfortable in their new habitat, and if all goes well we’ll look at pairing them up for the 2017 breeding season.

The conservation breeding programme is really important, especially as the conservation risk for Red Pandas was recently upgraded by the IUCN from vulnerable to endangered due to their dwindling numbers in the wild.

Good zoos around the world work together for the conservation of endangered species like Red Pandas through global and regional conservation breeding programmes. Conservation breeding programmes help to maintain healthy populations, build knowledge of good animal husbandry, and provide care and support for wild conservation projects.
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Tygo said:
Wellington Zoo has received a new male Red Panda from Auckland Zoo.
https://wellingtonzoo.com/news/meet-our-new-red-panda/
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Surprised they've imported a male. I assumed Khusi would be bred with Manasa (born 2010).

Good to hear they've got a very young breeding pair though with Sundar and Khusi (both born 2014). Not sure why the delay (2017) in breeding. Red Pandas can breed at 18 months so both are already sexually mature.

Breeding a female young clearly paid off for Hamilton Zoo. Tayla produced a litter every year for four years consecutive and all her litters were either twins or triplets. In contrast, Wellington Zoo's older female Amy only produced two litters and three years apart: Sir Ed (2007) and Manasa (2010).
 
zooboy28 said:
An article on Temba's death.

Full story here: Wellington Zoo chimpanzee Temba dies during surgery after clash with alpha male Marty | Stuff.co.nz
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Sad news, especially for his keepers and troop after the loss of Chima earlier this year. Wellington Zoo have been hit hard with chimpanzee deaths over the years with the three breeding females losing at least 7 offspring between them since they arrived in 1992.

Will be interesting to see how his death affects the hierarchy in the troop. Alexis will move up in the hierarchy, and may even overtake the eldest male, Sam, if he has not done already. This will increase his mother, Cara's standing in the troop. As the lowest ranking female, I'm sure she'll welcome the change. She's now the only female with an adult son.
 
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