The elephant’s move to Australia has been postponed till March/April 2022 due to covid-related delays: Log into Facebook | Facebook
North Island brown kiwi update: One of Auckland Zoo’s pairs of North Island brown kiwi (Frosty and Maia) have produced an egg in the zoo’s off display kiwi exhibit. The staff are hoping for a successful hatching in the weeks to come. Operation Nest Egg (where the zoo hatch and release wild kiwi eggs) is starting soon. To date, Auckland Zoo has successfully hatched and released 398 kiwi chicks.
Yes, to my knowledge they’ve only ever held North Island brown kiwi. Operation Nest Egg began in 1994 - with eggs sent to Wellington Zoo; with Auckland Zoo becoming an active participant at by 1997. Auckland Zoo’s first nocturnal/kiwi house opened in 1971.
Six Brown Teals have hatched at Auckland Zoo. They can be seen in the zoo’s forest aviary: Log into Facebook | Facebook
Kakapo update: Two year old female Kakapo Huarangi has returned to the wild after being successfully treated for a cloacitis at the zoo’s vet clinic over the last three months. The lesions this caused healed a few weeks ago and she remained at the zoo until her blood tests came back clear. Huarangi is the final Kakapo to return home from the zoo’s latest batch of patients. The upcoming Kakapo breeding season is expected to be a big one with their breeding success linked to the fruiting of the Rimu tree. Source: Zoo’s social media These are the Kakapo Auckland Zoo have treated this year: 1.0 Bravo (2019) 1.0 Tautahi (2019) 1.0 Bunker (2019) 0.1 Hinemoa (2009) 0.1 Huhū (2019) 0.1 Mati-mā (2019) 0.1 Vori (2019) 0.1 Huarangi (2019) All 201 Living Kakapo are listed here: List of kakapo - Wikipedia
Auckland's female Emperor Tamarin is currently pregnant. If successful, this will be the pair's third set of offspring since Auckland imported individuals from Perth Zoo and Zoo Dortmund respectively. From their social media: "We have some great news – emperor tamarin Rose is pregnant! Ladino and Rose are already parents to three white-whiskered babies; eldest sibling Isla born in 2020, as well as their twins that were born earlier this year - female Xoco (an Aztec word meaning ‘little sister’) and male Emilio. As part of the regular care our primates receive, our keepers keep an eye out for any behavioural changes our animals may have, as well as routinely monitoring their dietary intake and weight. This careful observation allows them to track any exciting developments, such as pregnancies, as well as making sure they’re in tip top health. As Amy says, it’s very common for tamarins to give birth to twins so this could be a possibility. We’ll keep you posted on her progress!"
It’s good to see both the Emperor tamarin pair and Cotton-top tamarin pair welcoming several infants in succession. There’s been several incidents of tamarins rejecting young in New Zealand’s zoos (and overseas). The best way to prevent this is through giving juveniles and adolescents the experience of raising younger siblings. I was told the breeding programme now takes this into account when making pairings - with elder siblings chosen over younger siblings. Hopefully Auckland’s Golden lion tamarin pair will be successful in breeding again and naturally raise their offspring this time.
Galapagos tortoises egg incubation: Auckland Zoo have posted an interesting video about their Galapagos tortoises hatchlings - including the details of their excavation and incubation. Apparently both females (Snapper and Chippie) produce eggs and each time, the eggs are excavated and incubated as if they are fertile. In this case, four eggs hatched. Log into Facebook | Facebook
South East Asian Precinct Update Auckland Zoo have just posted a comprehensive update on the progress of their South East Asian precinct: Explore more of our new Jungle Track this summer! | Auckland Zoo News This summer Zoo visitors can look forward to exploring more of our developing South East Asia Jungle Track, that’s seen some exciting progress since late September when construction could recommence in Auckland at Alert Level 3. Click on link for photos.
Galapagos tortoises hatchlings - Part 2: This is Part 2 of the video series on the zoo’s Galapagos tortoise hatchlings: Log into Facebook | Facebook In final video of our two-part series, we explore the science involved in designing a habitat that allows our visitors a special glimpse at these four Galápagos tortoise hatchlings, whilst ensuring all their complex needs are met. How does one do this? Through research and international consultation twith other Galápagos tortoise breeders - including the Charles Darwin Centre in the very islands after which the tortoises are named! Watch as our ectotherm experts create the ultimate environment for these young tortoises and witness their first moments exploring their new habitat.
Auckland Zoo are handraising a Saddleback chick: From their social media: Our skilled bird team are hand-rearing a tiny tīeke (saddleback) chick! Currently 10 days old, the chick is receiving a nutritious feed of minced meat and papaya every two hours (7am to 9pm) each day. Our team will continue this schedule, gradually reducing the frequency of feeds until the chick is ready to ‘fledge’ and leave its make-shift nest. In the meantime, our bird keepers will care for the chick in this temperature-controlled temporary home (a warm brooder that replicates the warmth of their parents) until it’s ready to join the rest of our flock in our Forest aviary. We’ll keep you updated on the chicks progress!
12 Greater flamingo eggs have been laid! Log into Facebook | Facebook The zoo advises they’ll be incubating them and replacing them with dummy eggs. Not all of the eggs will be fertile, but it looks like this year’s flamingo season is off to a strong start!
Closures for construction work on South East Asia precinct: I was surprised to notice on Auckland Zoo’s online map that almost half the zoo has been closed for construction of the South East Asia precinct, which has a target completion date of Autumn next year. An explanation is given on their website: This week’s move to Level 3 Step 2 also coincides with major visitor pathway construction works commencing on site in the Zoo. These works, essential to the completion of the Zoo’s Southeast Asia Jungle Track experience for Autumn 2022, will take 3-4 weeks and will necessitate closing almost half of the Zoo experience to returning members during this time. “We’ve known these works have been coming for many months and, after 12 weeks of closure, it’s particularly unfortunate and frustrating that they coincide with the first time in months that we can welcome people back to the Zoo.” says Kevin.
Twin Cotton Top Tamirans have been born https://www.instagram.com/p/CWZjf2XFqEo/ They were born to the zoo's resident pair, Ladino and Rose and are yet to be named. The Zoo now has seven Cotton Top Tamirans.
Orange-fronted parakeet update: From the zoo’s social media: You might remember a few weeks ago we shared an update when the first clutch (laying) of eggs hatched in their nestbox. Now, a total of 11 birds have hatched this breeding season with hopefully more on the way! It will take around 35 days for the chicks to fledge and leave the nest, and a further 12 weeks in our care before they’re sent to our conservation partners at The Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust for release in Hurunui valley. Thanks to this dedicated breed for release programme with the Department of Conservation, we’ve been able to breed, hatch and care for 50 individual birds that have been released into the wild.
A fifth Galapagos giant tortoise has hatched: The parents are Smiley and Chippie, also parents to the four hatchlings that hatched in January. It’s great to see several successful hatchings of this species beginning to take off! From the zoo’s social media: We’re excited to share that Auckland Zoo is now home to a fifth Galápagos tortoise hatchling! Emerging from its shell in early November, this welcome newcomer follows the hatching of four Galápagos tortoises in late January to parents Chippie and Smiley. Weighing just 80.1grams this hatchling was one of three undamaged eggs salvaged from a clutch laid by Chippie on 12 July – and the only fertile one.
