Wellington Zoo update » Wellington Zoo

22-02-2008

why thankyou jay - the tiger was getting dull so i drew a frog.

consider it a homage to "year of the frog" and my apologies for contributing to the extinction of so many species by spending my entire childhood catching them out of ponds only to find them months later desiccated under my bed or something!

Wellington Zoo Masterplan model
23-02-2008

Please do not take too much interest in this -- I did , and then I asked them about it , and it is not going ahead as such for a long long time , and it is still open to numerous changes .
I asked them about numerous animals on it ( jaguar etc ) and that is by and by , if they ever get them .... ( "we have no plans to house xxxx species ".... despite being shown on the model )
I have sent them an email expressing my annoyance at portraying a long term model that may not get the animnals that they are portraying on it

It is NOT an accurate model for at least the next 20 years

I have to agree with the thought that the nocturnal house is FAR TOO DARK to see a kiwi , or much else for that nature .
Wellington Zoo Management seem to be totally oblivious to this obvious issue ....
Unfortunately I have been disappointed with the management , and their responses ( if they ever respond ) about numerous issues .
I am still waiting for a satisfactory answer re the cheetah issue that I raised with them on behalf of Patrick .... I wont hold my breath

Bats , camel and Himalaya exhibit
23-02-2008

I am pretty sure that the bats have been transferred to Hamilton Zoo last year . I was at Wellington Zoo when they were being collected up for their vet exam prior to transfer .

The camel was housed just up hill from the chimps . I think they house the cheetahs there now , but they may have moved on again
The camel was hand reared , and thought he was a human most of the time . He quite often showed people his dulaah ( which for a non zoologist is a really disgusting preformance ! ) but he had a lovable character once he got to know you . School kids loved him and he was something of an unofficial mascot . He had no idea how to relate to other camels .

Unfortunately , he had to be put down due to medical complications .
Despite his behaviour , I still miss Cairo .

Not far from the snack bar near the lions is the Himamlaya exhibit . Basically it consists if Himalayan monals and red pandas . It will be a little too small for larger animals at its current size/site

23-02-2008

they obviously get lots of complaints about the Kiwi House. As you go into the zoo, just as you exit the entrance building, there is a sign headed something along the lines of "why is it so dark in the Kiwi House?" with an explanation that kiwi are nocturnal and it has to be that dark. (There are also two other similar signs, one headed "why don't you have elephants?" or similar, and the other one I forget now).

23-02-2008

yes that was pretty much the impression I got from it. A lot of wishful thinking for much of the plan. There seems to be an awful lot of buildings cluttering up the centre part, and the paths are all changed around from what there is now, so the entire zoo would really have to be redone to match what they have on the model. Still, they've got the African Savannah area underway so at least they're doing bits of it.

23-02-2008

I think patrick was thinking along the lines of something a little more grand. I think maybe the top part of the zoo, the really hilly area where all the baboons and aoudads and so on are would be ideal. A big rocky hillside enclosure for snow leopards and adjoining ones for yaks and tahr (the whole predator/prey immersion thing), a sprawling tree- and bamboo-filled one for red pandas, and then big leafy aviaries for the monals and Derbyans. Excellent.

24-02-2008

yeah, you get me.

you mention yaks. are there yaks in new zealand?

there are other species in NZ such as golden cats, that are found in the himalaya also.

Himalaya Exhibit / Ultra dark kiwi House
24-02-2008

As far as I know , there are no yaks in NZ zoos . The Himamlaya exhibit in its current position would not be suitable for yaks unless they removed the lions and whatever is in Cairos old paddock ( it was cheetahs , but I was under the impression that it was a temporary home )

Golden cats are certainly a good potential to have to compliment the current enclosure ! ( Along with Derbyans ) Its sufficiently steep enough for tahr , but I am not convinced it has the room / space .

Yes , the back steep (almost cliff ) section of the zoo is more ideal , but as they have just built the exhibit last year , I doubt if they will really be in a hurry to change the location .
The zoo management brings in architects to design the enclosures , but the zookeepers are not given much opportunity to have much input into the design , until a long way down the track . I have tried to take this up with the management team , but they refuse to acknowledge this .

As much as the zoo has improved over the past few years ( it was a horror story for most of its life -- and the vet clinic needed upgrading 75 years ago ) I think the zoo would benefit from better senior management who LISTENS to the keepers and other staff more often than they do .
The staff is effectively gagged , and the responses are just spin .

The answer they give about kiwis being nocturnal does NOT answer the issue about the worlds darkest nocturnal house .
I visit nocturnal houses wherever I come across them , and this is the darkest by a LONG shot . Obviously none of the staff has ever visited Otorohanga Kiwi house , where they GARUNTEE a kiwi sighting !!
The little extra light doesnt appear to bother those kiwis one bit , nor kiwis in any other Kiwihouse

25-02-2008

yes there are yaks in NZ. I don't think any zoos display them but they aren't uncommon on "hobby farms". The first ones I saw in NZ a number of years ago gave me a bit of a surprise, seeing them in a roadside paddock in Marlborough.

25-02-2008

YAKS
more info on yaks in NZ

25-02-2008

if you go to the "Breeds" section of that site it lists a lot of the other domestic animal breeds available in NZ. Other species that are kept here for farming purposes include water buffalo, American bison, ostrich and emu; on hobby farms can also be found wallabies, tahr and probably chamois. There MAY be nilgai around too (Orana Park's ones went to Lincoln University in the early 90s (?) to be assessed for farming potential but I never heard anything else about them being used as such).

25-02-2008

heres some info for aussies about rare breeds, but it doesnt mention bison farming
http://www.rbta.org/Pdf%20Files/Stat...alia%20v10.pdf

25-02-2008

i've heard yaks are rather nasty...