There must have been more news from Orana this year, but I can't remember any! Anyway, today a cheetah escaped, so here's a new/s thread: Story and photo here: Cheetah cub escapes Orana Park enclosure | Stuff.co.nz
Kiwi born in Orana Park killed by dog Story here: Beloved kiwi killed by dog - national | Stuff.co.nz
Yaks Arrive at Orana From Orana Park's Facebook page today - Not sure where they are being exhibited - anyone know?
They are beside the lions, in the old llama paddock according to Facebook. Any idea where they came from?
they are from a farm in Nelson (at the top of the South Island). There are quite a few yaks farmed in NZ.
yup, like cows but much cooler-looking. It's a good quick way of filling some empty paddock space I guess, and for most visitors they will look very wild and exotic.
I think that means "old" llama paddock, not that the yaks have replaced llamas. I haven't been for a long time but there was always one llama in the farmyard and some others over by the hunting dogs (to the right when entering the park). The lions of course are in the opposite direction. I guess "old llama paddock" would refer to one of the moated paddocks. (I *think* all the fenced ones where the springboks etc used to be - in former times giraffes, sitatunga, addra, etc - got removed when the tiger enclosures were built. I can't quite remember the layout as it is now).
The Llamas are still in the collection, they have moved into a paddock in the farmyard. Another paddock, I'm not sure which one, is being prepared for "a new arrival" which has not been named yet.
mentioned in passing on Orana's Facebook, the new arrivals are five young American bison. I can't find any actual press release about them. They may have come from Hamilton Zoo, but more likely from a private farm.
Seems like a decent number. I do like Bison, and they can make a good exhibit, although here they are just being used as a gap filler. They are going to run out of locally-available filler species soon though...
I was just thinking the other day, with the addition of these bison Orana now has four species of bovid on display (albeit three of them domestics): American bison, domestic water buffalo, domestic yak, and Highland cattle.
Spider Monkeys Escape Five Spider Monkeys escaped today, but have been caught and returned safely. Its not clear how far they actually got though. Why does Orana have so many animal escapes? Story & photo here: Five monkeys escape Orana Park - national | Stuff.co.nz
More details on the Spider Monkeys escape in this story, it appears they escaped via a broken rope, but didn't get particularly far from their enclosure. Story here: Five monkeys escape Orana Park - national | Stuff.co.nz
Further details of incidents at Orana Park from April 2013 - March 2014 have been revealed here: Zoo subjected to escapes galore | Stuff.co.nz It notes the escape of the cheetah cub and siamangs, as well as an incident where two white rhino got into an adjacent enclosure (in June 2014). It also mentions an incident where a young keeper was injured by a cheetah.
Orana seems to be promoting itself as an open range zoo (according to the new website Open Range Zoo NZ | Orana Wildlife Park). Has this always been the case?
That website is a lot better than the old one. I don't know if Orana has promoted itself using the words "open range zoo" before, but it is certainly the NZ equivalent of Werribee, Monarto or Western Plains in Australia, being a rural zoo with larger numbers of larger mammals and fewer smaller exhibits. But all exhibits can be seen on foot. There is a shuttle bus that drives around the zoo too (not through any exhibits) and a lion exhibit that can be driven through on an additional tour. In the past the lion exhibit (and others I think) could be driven through by private vehicle. There are no massive mixed species hoofstock exhibits either, just paddocks of single species.
