Wellington Zoo Te Nukuao

On Saturday Keza the Chimpanzee was anaesthetised in the Chimp house so our team from Te Kōhanga, assisted by a specialist human Cardiology team from Wellington Hospital, could evaluate her heart health. Over the past few months, our Animal Care team has noticed that Keza had some swelling in her feet that didn't resolve over time. Because this can be a sign of problems with the heart, our Vet team decided to bring in a cardiologist to check Keza’s heart. Thanks to our expert Animal Care team’s planning, and training Keza for voluntary injection of her anaesthetic drugs, the procedure went very smoothly. The cardiology team performed an echocardiogram and electrocardiogram and found evidence of some thickening of the heart walls associated with hypertension (increased blood pressure). These diagnostics are essential for creating a tailored treatment plan for Keza. Our vets have prescribed a blood pressure medication called spironolactone, and the Animal Care team are working on training Keza for voluntary blood pressure monitoring going forward. Ngā mihi to the Cardiology team for donating their time and expertise to help Keza! 📸 Keeper Lisa

This weekend we’re celebrating 15 years of Te Kōhanga The Nest! 👩⚕️🦁 For over a decade, our amazing Vet team have cared for hundreds of native manu, sealife, and lizards in our specialist animal hospital - not to mention the hundreds of Zoo animal procedures they've carried out too! Every animal who comes through our doors receives the highest possible standard of care, and many go on to be released back into their wild habitats. In the last 15 years we have released over 1,400 patients – nearly 100 a year! To celebrate this 15-year milestone, this weekend there will be Te Kōhanga themed talks, and our Rangers will be hosting loads of fun activities, including face painting and “Become a Junior Vet’. The work that goes on at Te Kōhanga is a huge part of our mission to save wildlife and wild places, and we're thrilled to be celebrating 15 years of vital conservation work.

Check out this awesome article from Blooloop about our Director of Communication, Experience, and Conservation, Amy Hughes. Amy has worked at Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo for nearly two decades and has witnessed the continuous evolution of our Zoo, physically and experientially, in that time. In this Blooloop interview, Amy shares some insights into our strategy, values, conservation partners, carbon-zero approach, and much more: https://lnkd.in/gfmVBpw8

We're excited to share some updates from Keeper Ellen's trip to Hokitika in October to work with the West Coast Penguin Trust! In her time down south, Ellen worked on a few different projects including: 🐧Helping with attaching and retrieving data loggers (little blocks that track the penguins’ movements) for a study examining the foraging behavior of Kororā Little Blue Penguins throughout the breeding season. 💙Ellen also lent a hand in microchipping several penguins, which is essential to track the survival, breeding rates, and movements of individuals throughout a site over the years. 🥚Her final task was to accompany the Trust’s ranger to monitor five different sites between Hokitika and Charleston and identify whether burrows in the area were occupied, home to chicks, or laid with eggs. Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo has supported the West Coast Penguin Trust for several years, and we’re thrilled to see one of our own working on-the-ground to help out this awesome conservation organisation.

Ever wondered how our dedicated team at Te Kōhanga The Nest cares for injured native animals? Check out this exclusive behind-the-scenes feature from RNZ, where our expert vet team reveals how they rehabilitate our native manu and prepare them for a safe return to the wild. https://lnkd.in/gy335PAw

Tuatara on the move! 15 Tuatara moved from Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo to Brook Waimārama Sanctuary in Nelson on Wednesday, as part of a national programme working to form a new mainland population. This move marks a significant step forward in Tuatara conservation, and will go a long way to ensure wild Tuatara populations thrive well into the future. These Taonga were farewelled by our Zoo whānau on Wednesday morning before being escorted by members of Ngāti Koata on their journey to Nelson, where they're now settling into their new home. The newcomers were welcomed to Brook Waimārama Sanctuary with a pōwhiri from Ngāti Koata and Brook Waimārama staff, while over 100 volunteers and community members gathered to celebrate the Tuatara’s arrival. 56 Tuatara from around the country participated in this translocation, coming from sanctuaries in both the North and South Islands that participate in the managed programme. To finalize the details of this move, it’s taken months of collaboration between the Department of Conservation (DOC), the Tuatara species coordinator based at Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo, other Tuatara programme participants, and involved sanctuaries and Ngāti Koata. We’re thrilled that these precious Taonga have made their way to their new home. Ngā mihi nui to everyone else who helped make this move possible.

In this clip of Keeper Molly, Dingo Blue is training for a protected contact flea treatment. 🐕 Training involves placing a chute in the yard of the Dingo habitat to get them to lie closer to the fence. When Dingoes Blue and Kiah are in this position, Keepers can apply the treatment between their shoulder blades in a safe and protected manner. Keepers are also able to utilize the training chute for injection training, which involves using a blunt needle is to practice different kinds of injections for vaccines or treatments. Pretty amazing, don’t you think? Training health-related behaviors like this one are a crucial part of ensuring that the animals we care for live happy and healthy lives. Alongside health, our Animal Care team also focuses on nutrition, environment, behavior, and mental state to monitor the overall welfare of the 500+ animals who live at Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo.

Ever wondered how we keep the 500+ animals we care for fed and watered? Meet Jo and Jeremy, the powerhouse duo behind our onsite Nutrition Centre. At 7am each day, Jo and Jeremy get to work prepping the daily diets for the species in our care, from the tallest Giraffe to the tiniest Gecko. This looks like: 🥦Cooking up any veges needed for diets 🍠Prepping vege diets for coming days 🥬Ordering veges from suppliers 🐛Feeding, draining, and watering our worm farms 🍗Prepping meat for carnivore diets At Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo, we follow the Five Domains of Animal Welfare to ensure that all the animals in our care live happy and healthy lives. Managing the diets of these animals is a crucial part of maintaining their quality of life, and our amazing Nutrition Centre staff go above and beyond to source the highest quality food around. Did you know that we feed the animals in our care food from the same farms that supply your local supermarket? Ka pai Jo and Jeremy!

Bashii the Sumatran Tiger was placed under general anaesthetic at Te Kōhanga The Nest last week so he could undergo an aged animal health check. At 16 years old, Bashii’s an elderly Tiger, and our Animal Care and Veterinary teams have tailored his care to ensure all his needs are met. While our Keepers carry out daily visual assessments of the animals in our care, comprehensive health assessments can only take place under general anaesthetic at Te Kōhanga. Elderly Tigers are at risk of many of the same diseases as pet cats, so it’s important for us to regularly check for these issues. We already know that Bashii has early-stage kidney disease, and his awesome Keepers have trained him for regular blood draws which means we can monitor the progression of his condition. Last week’s health check included a dental and joint assessment, as well as x-rays, blood work, and an ultrasound. Our Vet team confirmed that Bashii has osteoarthritis in his joints as well as some dental disease which required a tooth being pulled. While Bashii was under anaesthetic, a team from Massey University and Tararua Fertility collected a semen sample from him to ensure his genetics are preserved. The sample has been cryopreserved and will remain in store in case we need it in the future. Post-procedure, Bashii is now on a tailored pain relief plan for his arthritis and our Keepers will closely monitor his mobility and kidney health going forward. The findings from last week’s procedure show just how crucial aged animal checks are so we can make sure Bashii, and all the ageing animals we care for, are as happy and healthy as possible.

Forgot to book your Christmas party venue? Give us a call and we’ll get you sorted! Our range of five unique venues works for all sort of events including sit-down dinners, nibbles, and dancing. October bonus! If you book a function with us this month, you’ll go in the draw to win a Complimentary Giraffe Feed for 20 visitors!* Details here: https://lnkd.in/gMXYY_fq *$29+GST per each additional visitor 📸Neil Price