Keza the Chimpanzee gave birth to her first baby early yesterday morning. https://www.facebook.com/WgtnZoo
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: 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.
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 ...).
Article about the baby chimp : Jane Goodall names Wellington Zoo's baby chimp | Environmentsci | 3 News