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Auckland Zoo Auckland Zoo News 2015

Discussion in 'New Zealand' started by Tygo, 7 Jan 2015.

  1. Tygo

    Tygo Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Story about Faith the Hippo turning 40.
     
  2. Nisha

    Nisha Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Siamang Gibbon, Iwani has been PTS :(

    We're very sad to share with you that we have had to euthanise our 11-year-old male siamang gibbon, Iwani, due to serious on-going welfare issues.

    Iwani had an extremely tough start to life that, over the years, has seriously impacted his long-term well-being here at Auckland Zoo. He was rejected by his mum at six weeks of age and then had to be hand-reared by the primate keepers.

    Despite all the incredible love and care given to him by his keepers and their exhaustive efforts to try and give Iwani a good life, we had to accept that, in the end, we were unable to meet his welfare needs and there was nothing more we could do to try and alleviate his suffering.

    To ensure the best welfare for our remaining siamang, female Kera, we will soon be pairing her up with a young male, Intan, coming to us from Willowbank Wildlife Park.

    This has been a sad decision for the Zoo and we thank you for your support, especially for our primate team.
     
  3. zooboy28

    zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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    Very sad, Iwani was very well known in NZ from The Zoo TV series, as well as specials about him. They don't actually specifiy what the ongoing welfare reasons were, which which is rather unusual.
     
  4. Nisha

    Nisha Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  5. Tygo

    Tygo Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Bo the Red Panda has given birth to a single cub.
    https://www.facebook.com/AKLZOONZ?fref=photo
     
  6. zooboy28

    zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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    The directors of Auckalnd and Wellington Zoos have penned a strong article in response to criticism received over euthanising Iwani.

    Story here: Jonathan Wilcken and Karen Fifield: Zoos in it for good of the animals - Life & Style - NZ Herald News

     
  7. zooboy28

    zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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    Progress on Elephant importation - will happen this year! Probably.

    Story here: Elephants' arrival creeps closer | Stuff.co.nz

     
  8. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    oh wow, that was a sudden announcement. Here's another article from the Niue perspective:
    Niue prepares for the arrival of elephants | Radio New Zealand News
     
  9. driftaguy

    driftaguy Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    The Pridelands Escarpment

    I saw some listings advertising services wanted for tender on a government website for a project called The Pridelands Escarpment.
    Interesting, I'd read on here they were going to build a new meerkat enclosure in Pridelands. Does anyone know if construction has started?

    https://www.gets.govt.nz/RFAL/ExternalTenderDetails.htm?id=6844895
    https://www.gets.govt.nz/RFAL/ExternalTenderDetails.htm?id=6844712
     
  10. zooboy28

    zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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    This is excellent news, hopefully they are able to incorporate tunnels like the current exhibit. And stunningly awesome that they have thought to include an aviary! Presumably this will get the lovebirds back on display. I've wanted an exhibit like this to be added to Pridelands for ages, and it gets a big area of "surplus" exhibits in the centre of the zoo that are ripe for demolition and redevelopment, ideally as part of an exhibit linking the Tigers and Orangs in an Asian area. I'd love it to be Sun Bears...

    I doubt work has started yet, as there's nothing on the website and there should be if anything is under construction. It will be interesting to see exactly where its built. And how they will do the elephants behind hte Pridelands.
     
  11. ZooGirl101

    ZooGirl101 Well-Known Member

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    I heard about this yesterday from a staff member. Construction is expected to start next month. They will be removing part of the boardwalk and replacing it with a viewing area from ground level. In this area will also be a new Meerkat enclosure.

    That is all I have heard so far.
     
  12. ZooGirl101

    ZooGirl101 Well-Known Member

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    Capybaras Coming to Auckland Zoo.

    I heard from a zoo employee while behind the scenes yesterday that Capybaras are coming to Auckland Zoo. At this point they are unaware of a date. I am not too sure where they are coming from although there are rumours they might be coming from Adelaide Zoo (some of their babies I'm guessing).

    They will live in the current squirrel monkey enclosure in the rainforest together with the squirrel monkeys. Behind the scenes, a new den area is being constructed for them (I have a photo of it but don't know if I should post it).

    To me, this is very exciting news! I have always loved Capybaras.
    Unfortunately I won't get to see them since I'm moving to Europe next month but it is exciting.
     
  13. zooboy28

    zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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    The boardwalk around the giraffes? That would be a major undertaking, how would visitors get down to ground level? Presumably this will be in the area around the African huts, near the lion viewing?
     
  14. ZooGirl101

    ZooGirl101 Well-Known Member

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    They describe it as a "dip". I am not so sure but like the boardwalk sloping downwards and then back up or something. Anyway the plan is to have viewing from both above and below, which would be interesting.

    The new meerkat enclosure is basically because the others are getting old and hard to contain meerkats apparently. Sometimes they just manage to get out of the current ones.
     
  15. zooboy28

    zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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    It will certainly be very interesting to see how the development pans out, I have very high hopes. The meerkats have escaped from the current exhibit, and that is one of the older exhibits in the zoo, although obviously extensively modified from its days as a bear pit.
     
  16. zooboy28

    zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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    Auckland Zoo Copping Flak Over Elephants

    Born Free have accussed Auckland Zoo staff as well as local staff of abusing elephants at the orphanage in Sri Lanka, where they also say "animal welfare" is not a priority. So, as per usual, BF (or should that be BS?) blame both the orphanage and the Zoo for the bad conditions, and do nothing to actually improve the situation or help the elephants at all.

    Story here: Auckland Zoo under fire for treatment of elephant | Stuff.co.nz

     
  17. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  18. zooboy28

    zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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    Auckland Zoo to Just Import One Elephant For Now...

    Auckland Zoo has identified one female "calf" to import, but there is still no timeframe (although it appears that the elephant will have to come to NZ before it goes to quarantine in Niue). As I see it, bringing in just one elephant is disappointing and doesn't make as much sense as bringing in two (original and still eventual plan), and will basically cost twice as much (and be prone to twice as much AR bull). And what if Burma and the new animal don't get on - at least it would have had a companion in the form of its fellow orphan and that would have increased the chance of Burma bonding with the new arrivals. I rather feel like the zoo must know this, and perhaps are being hamstrung by the city council.

    Story here: Elephant calf moving to Auckland Zoo - auckland | Stuff.co.nz

     
  19. Zoofan15

    Zoofan15 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Reply to zooboy28

    You make a valid point, according to 'The Zoo: This Is Your Life (2008)', Kashin and Burma were at best indifferent to each other for the first couple of years.

    While Kashin had shown fondness and affection for a three year old African Elephant calf held at Auckland Zoo in 1983; in 1990, the then 22 year old Kashin was offhand and aloof when she was first introduced to 8 year old Burma. Early photographs of the pair show them standing 'back to back' which is elephant body language for disinterest in each other. It took years for them to form the close bond they eventually shared.

    Like you say, 'Zooboy' the companionship of a second calf would be helpful in the social adjustment of the new calf, should Burma show indifference to it's presence.

    I have heard no information on the age of the "calf." Personally I think the younger the better (ideally under 6 years of age). Aside from the obvious fact that Burma would feel more maternally inclined towards a younger calf, there is the logisitics of breeding to consider...

    Breeding would require the importation of a bull (or more likely breeding through AI). Breeding through AI is expensive and unlikely to occur immediately as the zoo will want to ensure the new elephant is acclimitised socially etc. Assuming these arrangements took four years to impliment, and then proceeded incident free, importing a 6 year old would mean the female would conceive at 10, and deliver a calf at 12. Of course, importing a younger female of 3, 4 or 5 years of age would give them even more time.

    Importing an older female, approaching her teens, would decrease the reproductive potential of the new animal and if implimenting oppotunities for breeding were delayed for whatever reason, the zoo could find itself with another elephant too old to breed by the time anything is arranged.
     
  20. zooboy28

    zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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