Wellington Zoo Wellington Zoo News 2024

Rescued Little blue penguin joins zoo’s colony:

From socials:

This wee Blue Penguin was found on Otaki Beach last month with severe wounds to their neck and eye.

They were brought to Te Kōhanga The Nest where our vets and nurses ran tests and examined their injuries. Sadly, their left eye was so badly damaged that it will remain permanently blind. The GOOD news is that a specialist veterinary eye doctor confirmed that the eye is comfortable and won't need to be removed.

The recovering Penguin has joined the group of Blue Penguin already living at Wellington Zoo and is thriving in the flock.
 
 
Jambo said:
Breeding Male Ring Tail Lemur, Zeus, has received a contraceptive implant to take a break from breeding after siring fourteen offspring.

Wellington Zoo on Instagram: "Zeus the Legendary Lemur visited Te Kōhanga The Nest recently for a special medical procedure: a contraceptive implant. Zeus has fathered 14 children in the past 2 years, and it's time for a well-deserved break to ensure he doesn't feel... overworked? While Zeus was at Te Kōhanga, our vets also carried out a physical exam, drew some blood, and polished his teeth. This Father of the Year is back home with his Conspiracy and continues to serve as an occasional babysitter for the four mothers of his children. Keeper Lisa"
Click to expand...

Changeover of breeding male lemurs:

Wellington lemur Zeus moving to Hamilton Zoo after fathering 14

Zeus the Ring-tailed lemur is transferring to Hamilton Zoo; and Wellington Zoo is receiving a new breeding male.

Considering the size of this exhibit, it’s good to see Wellington Zoo planning to continue breeding. The departure of Zeus will leave them with 18 lemurs.
 
Upgrades to giraffe exhibit:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national...o-s-giraffe-habitat-gets-first-ever-expansion

It is the first time the giraffe habitat has been expanded since it was first built in 2006.

Chris Jerram from Wellington Zoo said it was the first stage of a project set to take place over the next couple of years.

"We're basically creating an additional sheltered space for the giraffes," he said. "It's just creating more opportunities for the animal care team to be able to manage what is becoming a more complex and dynamic herd, with a maturing large male and a young calf."
 
Sadiki (African lion) health update:

From socials:

Sadiki the African Lion paid a visit to Te Kōhanga The Nest yesterday for a procedure to follow up on the x-rays taken last month.

This 3-year-old Lion is still experiencing digestive issues and a decreased interest in food. His loss of appetite has led to some weight loss which is unusual for a Lion, and our Vets needed to perform some advanced imaging and extra tests.

The team at Te Kōhanga were lucky to have the help of a Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist, who performed an endoscopy to examine Sadiki’s digestive tract. Biopsy samples of Sadiki’s digestive tract have been sent for analysis, and we hope that the results will provide a clearer picture of his condition.
 
Unfortunately there has been an aspergillosis outbreak among Wellington Zoo's kea resulting in the death of two of their birds. The other three kea, Murray, Fern and Te Anau, are responding variably to treatment in their hospital but generally positively. Their aviary is receiving a refresh in the meantime before the trio are reintroduced into the space - reported on social media.
 
During my visit to Wellington Zoo today, I was informed that both birds of their Himalayan Monal pair are still on-display and alive. These are very old animals that are obviously not going to reproduce, so how much this information matters is up to you.

The surviving Kea are still off-display.
 
Zoo begins Whitaker’s skink breed and release programme:

From socials:

We're excited to share that Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo has JUST embarked on a local conservation programme dedicated to breeding Whitaker's Skinks for release.

Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo is home to 1/6th of the Whitaker's Skinks in human care. The Skinks are being cared for in our state-of-the art reptile facility, Te Piringa Iti, in climate-controlled habitats where the animals will be able to grow safely.
 
Last edited:
Snow leopard suspected leg fracture:

From socials:

Snow Leopard Manju paid a visit to Te Kōhanga The Nest yesterday after our Keepers noticed she was limping slightly on her right front leg.

X-rays showed that Manju’s sore leg is being caused by a possible small fracture, and the x-rays have been sent to a specialist for further interpretation.

Once we have the results, our Vet team can develop a treatment plan to help Manju's leg heal. ‍ All things going well, Manju should be back in tiptop shape in a couple months thanks to the amazing mahi of our Animal Care and Veterinary teams! "
 
Zoofan15 said:
Snow leopard suspected leg fracture:

From socials:

Snow Leopard Manju paid a visit to Te Kōhanga The Nest yesterday after our Keepers noticed she was limping slightly on her right front leg.

X-rays showed that Manju’s sore leg is being caused by a possible small fracture, and the x-rays have been sent to a specialist for further interpretation.

Once we have the results, our Vet team can develop a treatment plan to help Manju's leg heal. ‍ All things going well, Manju should be back in tiptop shape in a couple months thanks to the amazing mahi of our Animal Care and Veterinary teams! "
Click to expand...
I hope everything goes well for Manju!
 
On May 19th, the zoo announced they rehabilitated and released a black-browed albatross back into the wild.

Wellington Zoo Te Nukuao

On June 11th, the zoo announced they transferred (0.2) domestic sheep (breed not specified) named Pearl and Sapphire to an unspecified farm in Greytown.

Wellington Zoo Te Nukuao

On July 3rd, the zoo announced they surpassed their former highest record of attendance with 279,656 visitors (18K more than the next highest, which was the previous 12 months).

Wellington Zoo Te Nukuao
 
Wellington Zoo currently does not hold kiwi:

From socials:

On Wednesday last week, Tūārangi the Kiwi left Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo for Otorohanga Kiwi House & Native Bird Park where she will participate in a managed breeding programme to strengthen Kiwi populations.

On the same day that Tūārangi moved to Otorohanga, our Keepers noticed that Rāwhiti the Kiwi was showing signs of sickness after being off her food for 2-3 days. Rāwhiti was rushed to Te Kōhanga where our Veterinary team performed x-rays and found a small fragment of wire in her stomach. She was taken to Massey University’s Wildbase Hospital for surgery, where it was discovered that the metal fragment had caused a severe infection that had already spread around her body. Our Veterinary team made the difficult decision to euthanize her on medical grounds, rather than subject her to a very risky and painful recovery with a low chance of survival.

In light of this news, there aren’t any Kiwi living at Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo for the moment. We’re waiting to hear when this will change, and we’ll let you know as soon as we can.
 
Jessie the chimpanzee has died:

Wellington Zoo’s oldest chimpanzee has died, aged 46 years. Jessie was born at Wellington Zoo in 1978 to Tom and Yoka, who were two of the founders of Wellington’s colony and have numerous descendants across the region.

From socials:

In recent months, Jessie’s health had noticeably deteriorated due to age-related conditions, including degenerative arthritis, that we were no longer able to manage with pain medication. As time went on, she was eating less food, staying inside more, and not interacting with the other Chimps.

As with all the animals we care for, Jessie’s welfare and quality of life are our top priorities, and this week we made the difficult decision to euthanize her.
 
Tasmanian devil import:

From socials:

Let's give a warm welcome to Minerva and Mayla, our new Tasmanian Devils! These Tassie-natives are settling in well to their new home after their trip across the Tasman.

Minerva and Mayla spent their first few days in Aotearoa in quarantine so our Keepers could monitor their health before introducing them to Cassia, the Zoo's resident Tassie. The introductions went well, and all three Devils are getting along fabulously in their habitat in our Neighbours Walkthrough at the top of the Zoo.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Tasmanian devil import:

From socials:

Let's give a warm welcome to Minerva and Mayla, our new Tasmanian Devils! These Tassie-natives are settling in well to their new home after their trip across the Tasman.

Minerva and Mayla spent their first few days in Aotearoa in quarantine so our Keepers could monitor their health before introducing them to Cassia, the Zoo's resident Tassie. The introductions went well, and all three Devils are getting along fabulously in their habitat in our Neighbours Walkthrough at the top of the Zoo.
Click to expand...

This is encouraging news, and makes me wonder if Auckland, too, is due to receive new devils in the future, especially with the reinvigoration of the Australia exhibit there?
 
ApeLadyNZ said:
This is encouraging news, and makes me wonder if Auckland, too, is due to receive new devils in the future, especially with the reinvigoration of the Australia exhibit there?
Click to expand...

Auckland Zoo have publicly stated they intend to receive more devils in the future, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they import in the coming months. Breeding season in Australia has just been and gone, so with new births, they’ll be a raft of surplus older devils freed up for the ambassador programme.

Wellington have imported two females, which is interesting as they already have a female. They’ve successfully integrated, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Auckland receiving one of them (to pair with their elderly) was considered as a contingency plan if they hadn’t.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Auckland Zoo have publicly stated they intend to receive more devils in the future, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they import in the coming months. Breeding season in Australia has just been and gone, so with new births, they’ll be a raft of surplus older devils freed up for the ambassador programme.

Wellington have imported two females, which is interesting as they already have a female. They’ve successfully integrated, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Auckland receiving one of them (to pair with their elderly) was considered as a contingency plan if they hadn’t.
Click to expand...

Very likely this is the case. When Auckland's upgrades are done, I believe it's likely we'll receive more devils at that stage. It's encouraging to see the Australia track get a new lease of life, and I'm glad Wellington's devils have settled in well!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top