Zoo Alive (Spring 2013)

BE IN Win TOthe WINchance AN INTREPID to adopt FAMILY a kiwi TRIP or TO giraffe BORNEO aucklandzoo.co.nz

$3.00 ISSUE # 54 | spring 2013

Conservation on Mauritius

Orangutan success story

tall order

giraffe conservation

Zoo grows love for locals

Mazda helps drive

conservation activity Auckland Zoo’s conservation activity is not just limited to its Western Springs location. Zoo staff spend considerable time on the road, whether it’s picking up animals such as Bo the red panda or venturing out to secret locations at the crack of dawn to release kiwi chicks into the wild.

Transportation of animals and other Zoo related materials is made much easier thanks to Mazda New Zealand providing the Zoo with a brand new and stunningly decorated Mazda3 and a BT-50 ute. Mazda is keen to recognise the valuable role the Zoo plays in protecting local species and wants to ensure the keepers have the transport necessary to continue their important conservation work.

mazda.co.nz

The company’s association with Auckland Zoo builds upon Mazda’s strong commitment to New Zealand conservation already shown through the great work it completes through the Mazda Foundation and the Treemendous School Makeover Project, a native planting project for schools.

Mazda believes it has a responsibility to support individuals and organisations working within local communities across the whole of New Zealand and has contributed more than $1.4 million through the Mazda Foundation to over 370 recipients since its establishment in 2005.

From the editor Conservation Week (7-15 September) is this year celebrating with the theme ‘What’s your whanau doing?’

The Zoo whanau has an action-packed week of great activities for you and your whanau.

Contents

Come and enjoy story time, fun games for the kids, face-painting, workshops on how to create native animal-friendly backyards, and more! (See our diary of events on page 24)

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In this issue, you can also read about new projects we’re involved in that are helping protect more of New Zealand’s precious native wildlife and habitats. Plus, check out our feature (page 8) to find out what the Zoo’s been doing in Namibia to help giraffe.

Be sure to enter our competition to win one of our redeveloped Adopt packs, and find out what’s so great about being a Zoo volunteer (see pages 5 & 22).

I 7 I New Arrivals 4 The Feed

Our all-you-can-eat update!

Jane Healy Editor

Zoo Alive is printed on Impress Coated paper stock produced from ECF (Elemental Chlorine Free) and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) approved certified mixed source pulp, and manufactured under the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. It is printed tri-annually (Spring, Summer and Autumn/Winter).

Contents cannot be reproduced in whole or part without permission of the publisher.

COVER PHOTO: McLennan Cover photoChris credit: Chris McLennan

Editor: Jane Healy Design: ROLFE Printing: PMP Maxum

Address all enquiries to the editor: Jane.healy@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz Phone: 09 360 3804

www.aucklandzoo.co.nz

Cute babies – from tiny to tall

8 CSI Namibia Great effort for giraffe 1 4 Wild North and South Balding birds and stunning skinks

16 Worldview A Kiwi on Mauritius 1 8 Our People 5 questions with Dave Fane 20 K is for Kids Gg is for giraffe

Auckland Zoo is a member of the World Association of Zoos & Aquaria, and the Australasian organisation – Zoo Aquarium Association

2 2 Connect

Adoption programme, become a parent

23 Friends of the Zoo Find us another friend and be in to win!

Auckland Zoo thanks its valuable partners for their generous support:

ZooAlive Spring 2013

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Zoo-fari launches The Warehouse

School

The Warehouse School Zoo-fari, an innovative new partnership between Auckland Zoo and the famous Red Sheds, is giving dynamic new learning opportunities to children from low-decile schools.

The Zoo Quiz 1

How many volunteers does Auckland Zoo currently have?

2

Which species of whale living in the Hauraki Gulf are our vets involved in helping?

3

How many species of orangutan are there, and which one does Auckland Zoo have?

4

Name the three marine mammal species that live at Te Wao Nui’s The Coast.

5

What oil-producing plant grown in Indonesia is impacting on the habitat and survival of orangutan, tigers and other species?

6

What African country has the Zoo recently been in to help collect genetic tissue samples from giraffe?

7

In what year did Auckland Zoo officially open?

8

Which type of lizard (gecko or skink) has to lick its own eyelids to help keep them clear?

9

On which New Zealand island is Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund supporting kakapo monitoring?

10

Where are Operation Nest Egg kiwi chicks that hatch at the Zoo currently being released?

1. 250 volunteers. 2. The Bryde’s whale. 3. Two species – Sumatran and Bornean orangutans; Auckland Zoo has Bornean. 4. NZ fur seal, Sub-Antarctic fur seal and Californian sea lion. 5. Palm Oil. 6. Namibia. 7. 1922. 8. Gecko.

9. Little Barrier Island. 10. Motuora Island in the Hauraki Gulf.

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More than 140 Year 3 and 4 students, teachers and adults from St Anne’s School in Manurewa were the first to experience The Warehouse School Zoo-fari when it launched in May. Supporting partner Ritchies provided the bus transport to the Zoo and the group enjoyed an action-packed day of classroom sessions with Zoo educators, up-close animal encounters, and an exploration of the Zoo. Getting hands-on with a bearded dragon, meeting kunekune pigs and encountering cheetah were among many highlights for these eager students.

“It was incredible to see the Zoo-fari programme in action and see just how much the kids got out of it, and how engaged they were in the classroom sessions. The Warehouse is very proud to partner with Auckland Zoo to enable these visits and the great learning that occurs”, said The Warehouse Executive General Manager of Community and Environment, Paul Walsh.

The Warehouse-sponsored programme targets Year 3 and 4 students from decile 1, 2, and 3 schools for visits during terms 2 and 3. Bookings are now open for 2014.

Photo: Brian Cairns

Coming face to face with Africa’s cheetah and getting up close to New Zealand’s cheeky kea were among experiences Year 3 and 4 students from St Anne’s school enjoyed during their Warehouse Zoo-fari .

Giraffe

house

up for architectural

‘Oscar’

Auckland Zoo’s new giraffe house has been shortlisted for a World Architectural Festival award.

This prestigious awards programme, dubbed the ‘Architectural Oscars’, is part of an annual architectural festival, and will be announced in Singapore in October.

Designed by Auckland architect firms Glamuzina Patterson and Hamish Monk, the new 175m2 giraffe house is 9.5m at its highest point and features moveable walls and eco-friendly materials.

Four other buildings are in the running for the award, including the Auckland Art Gallery. Like us on facebook for news.

Zoo volunteers and Friends of the Zoo members were treated to a special behind–the–scenes tour of the giraffe house recently. Its new residents are due to move in during September.

Rotoroa gets ‘green’ gold Rotoroa Island has won the ‘Protecting our Biodiversity’ category of the Ministry for the Environment Green Ribbon Awards 2013. Rotoroa Island trustee and chairman, Barrie Brown, says the award acknowledges the efforts of a large team of people involved in Rotoroa’s restoration, including Auckland Zoo staff.

WIN

your very own giraffe or kiwi!

To celebrate the launch of Auckland Zoo’s redeveloped Adopt an Animal membership programme, Zoo Alive is giving away two special Adopt packages. We have one Giraffe and one Kiwi adoption pack for two lucky readers.

To enter to win, just answer the following question:

“Where are a kiwi’s nostrils located?”

“Restoring the biodiversity of the island’s ecology is a principal goal of the Rotoroa Island Trust, and this award recognises our many partners, from the Salvation Army to Auckland Zoo and our own island team,” says Brown.

In partnership with the trust, the Zoo is creating a wildlife sanctuary on Rotoroa for some of New Zealand’s most endangered species. Essential conservation work is currently being carried out on the island, including a mice eradication programme. It is hoped the first translocation of endangered animals to Rotoroa will occur in 2014 with the release of North Island brown kiwi.

Email your answer, name and phone number to: zoofriends@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz by 30 September. One entry per person.

(This competition excludes Auckland Council staff and their families).

Find out more about Adopt an Animal on page 22.

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love locals Zoo grows

for

Kakapo, kiwi, sea lions, skinks, native bush and wetlands are among 15 wildlife and habitat restoration projects now benefiting from the support of Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund (AZCF).

Besides the Zoo’s Rotoroa Island partnership and onsite efforts for native species, AZCF focuses on providing financial and practical support to field projects.

“Over the past year, the Fund has enabled Zoo staff to contribute over 3,000 hours of conservation fieldwork in 27 New Zealand locations. In growing our projects to 15, we’ve also increased the number of species and habitats we’re helping our partners to monitor, manage and protect,” says AZCF programmes coordinator, Peter Fraser.

The Kea Conservation Trust, Motutapu Restoration Trust, Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi, Ark in the Park, and NZ falcon and frog and kakariki PhD researchers are among others receiving support.

“We’re very proud to support these partners. Working together is the key to successfully conserving our unique flora and fauna. That’s why our visitors’ support of Auckland Zoo, is not only appreciated, but also makes our work possible,” says Peter.

For more details, visit www.aucklandzoo.co.nz

Two new projects are Forest and Bird’s Te Henga (Bethells) Wetlands Restoration and the Department of Conservation’s Kakapo Sky Ranger project – monitoring kakapo on Hauturu (Little Barrier Island).

Bahruni is thriving back in the wild.

Orangutan success story Bahruni, a severely injured Sumatran orangutan captured by villagers on an Aceh oil palm plantation has been returned to the wild – to a protected reserve in Sumatra’s Aceh province.

The 11-year-old male is one of 43 orangutans that have been rescued, rehabilitated and released into Pinus Jantho Nature Reserve, thanks to the incredible efforts of a project supported by Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund (AZCF).

After rescuing Bahruni, in early 2012 ,our colleagues at the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) transported him to their Medan clinic for surgery to his right leg.

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Following five months of rehabilitation, Bahruni was able to use his legs normally again, and was moved to SOCP’s reintroduction station, which borders Jantho reserve.

The station has been operational since 2011, and AZCF, a supporter of SOCP since 2000, funds one-quarter of its annual running costs. It’s from here that staff take orangutans like Bahruni into the forest for regular sessions to relearn climbing and foraging skills until they are proficient enough to be fully released.

SOCP will release up to 15 more orangutans into the reserve this year. Jantho’s rich and diverse ecosystem provides a lifeline for this critically endangered great ape, and many other species including tiger, elephant and rhino, whose survival is under threat from deforestation.

Join us for Orangutan Caring Week (9-17November).

Visit www.aucklandzoo.co.nz

NEW

arrivals

On 3 August, we celebrated the arrival of our 31st giraffe calf – a beautiful 1.7m female, delivered in record time to 12-year-old mum, Rukiya.

Meet Shira

The fifth offspring for Rukiya and 13-year-old dad Zabulu came into the world at speed, following a labour of under three hours (Rukiya’s fastest delivery to date) and was on her hooves within half an hour.

Keeping and veterinary staff watched in awe as this experienced and very relaxed mum took the labour and parenting all in her stride. Rukiya had her new daughter successfully suckling from her the minute she could stand.

“This was by far Rukiya’s fastest and easiest birth, and she has produced a very healthy, strong and confident young calf in Shira.

“With Zabulu being a rare Rothschild’s giraffe and Rukiya partRothschild’s, Shira is also a very valuable new addition to the Australasian regional breeding programme,” says Pridelands keeper, Kathryn McKee. Rukiya and Shira are being gradually integrated with the rest of the giraffe herd, zebra and ostrich in Pridelands’ giraffe paddock. Mornings are often a great time to see them. Like us on facebook for updates.

PHOTO: Kathrin Simon

Ten

tiny

tuatara

Farewells

Ten baby tuatara hatched at the Zoo in July. These tiny ‘dinousaurs’ will go on display in The Islands habitat in Te Wao Nui later this spring.

Why call them dinosaurs? The tuatara is the only surviving member of the order, Sphenodontia – a lineage that dates back some 225 million years ago.

Our valuable breeding female siamang gibbon Kera (pictured) moves to Canberra’s National Zoo and Aquarium later this year to be paired up with a new male.

No one knows how long these dinosaurs live, but Otago Museum’s male Henry, New Zealand’s oldest known tuatara, is thought to be 116 years old. Given the right conditions, our latest arrivals will very likely outlive us all!

Our male siamang Iwani, an unsuccessful match for Kera, won’t be on his own for long though. We’ll be welcoming a new male companion for Iwani; Intan, from Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch.

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CSI

Namibia Zoo staff recently joined an expedition in Namibia to collect genetic samples from giraffes in Bwabwata National Park. The tissue sampling is part of a Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) project funded by the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund (AZCF).

Results could help reveal the ‘missing link’ to understanding giraffe genetics and assist in the conservation management of these majestic animals.

AZCF programmes coordinator Peter Fraser put up with intense heat, drove thousands of kilometres, clocked up 12-hour days and came face-to-face with some of Africa’s most spectacular wildlife. This is his story…

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ANGOLA

ZAMBIA Okavango River

MALAWI Victoria Falls

NAMIBIA

Okavango Delta

ZIMBABWE

BOTSWANA Windhoek

Johannesburg

SOUTH AFRICA

MOZAMBIQUE

Sydney/ Auckland

journey the

Windhoek, Namibia is the starting point of my adventure. I meet up with Dr Julian Fennessy, the world’s foremost giraffe researcher, and his wife Stephanie. Stephanie is a member of the GCF board, and responsible for the logistics of our expedition.

Others in our core team are GCF board member and British naval officer, Andy Tutchings, and GCF employee and prominent giraffe researcher, Andri Marais.

We load up two four-wheel drive vehicles with supplies for our two-week expedition and drive 1000km north to the Caprivi district on roads that lead to the Angolan border and along the mighty Kavango River.

It’s here we reach the small strip of Namibia bordering Angola, Botswana,

Zambia and Zimbabwe. This is the Caprivi district, which is part of a five-country agreement called KAZA (KavangaZambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area) that aims to protect and allow movement of migratory wildlife freely across borders.

It takes two days to reach our destination, and it’s only at sunrise the next morning that I get to see the full beauty of our campsite on the banks of the Kwando River. This explains the sound of hippos browsing right next to my tent during the night!

getting the

job done Our mission is to collect tissue samples from as many giraffe as we can.

To do this, we’re equipped with modified guns that shoot out darts. A dart fired at a giraffe takes a small bite of tissue, does no long-term harm and is probably no more painful than an insect bite.

After being fired, the dart falls out. It’s then our job to retrieve the small tissue sample from the dart, transfer it to a vial, label it, and record all relevant data.

All 12 days of our expedition begin at 6am and finish at 6pm (dusk). I discover giraffe are surprisingly hard to spot in the African bush, and at times on seeing us they scarper – even when we’re up to 300m away.

Illegal hunting It’s unusual behaviour say our giraffe experts, but this is an isolated area that also sees illegal hunting take place, which could explain why these giraffe so quickly take fright and flight.

Our excitement builds whenever we sight a giraffe. We get as close as possible in our vehicles, but more often than not, we need to go cross-country to get within the required 50m range of the dart gun. I’m aware we’re on foot in lion country, but I take solace in knowing I’m not the slowest runner in our team.

When successful, the bang of the dart gun is followed by the thwack of the dart hitting the giraffe’s rump. Then we must find the dart – designed to fall out immediately after impact. Sometimes it’s straight forward, other times we have to search through thorny bushes and deep sandy soil.

Fortunately, we recover all our darts, and most importantly, the accompanying tissue samples. In all, we come across just 35 giraffe, many of which exhibit extreme flight behaviour. But through a mix of luck and skill, we manage to get close enough to nine of them to obtain samples, and this is a good number for the study.

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finding the

missing link

In all, I travelled over 5000km within Namibia. I worked alongside incredibly committed and passionate conservationists, and got up-close to some of the world’s most amazing and diminishing wildlife.

The idea that any of these species could disappear in our lifetime, be it from poaching or other human-related pressures, is something we need to actively acknowledge and do everything in our power to prevent.

The tissue samples we successfully collected are now being analysed in Germany.

Later this year, following analysis, results will be compared between each sample, and then against data sets from other giraffe from across Africa.

The Giraffe Conservation Foundation is working to secure a future for all giraffe populations and subspecies in the wild. It is currently the only organisation in the world putting the spotlight on giraffe.

To learn more visit: www.giraffeconservation.org

Africa’s forgotten

megafauna

In 1998, giraffe numbers in Africa exceeded 140,000 individuals.

Today fewer than 80,000 remain. That’s less than a third of the current estimate of African elephants, which are classifed as ‘Endangered’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. It seems crazy, but the giraffe has been forgotten, and simply not researched.

This is the reason our friends at the GCF are so committed to researching and conserving this megafauna species they describe as “one of Africa’s most charismatic, ecologically and economically important species”.

Early research has hinted that Namibian giraffe, never before studied, may be quite distinct from their Botswana counterparts, which are more closely related to South African giraffe.

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It is thought they may be the missing link to understanding southern Africa giraffe and their population genetics.

Results from the genetic sampling I assisted with may help prove that Namibian giraffe are distinct enough to be assessed and proposed as a ‘vulnerable’ subspecies of giraffe on the ICUN Red List. That is tremendously important for their future conservation.

Fast Facts Since 1998 habitat loss and poaching have seen giraffe populations plummet from

140,000 to just 80,000

T he Rothschild’s giraffe (Uganda) has an estimated wild population of just

670 animals An additional 450 are in zoos worldwide – a valuable insurance population Research efforts by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation have led to two giraffe sub-species (Rothschild’s giraffe and West African giraffe) being formally classified as

Endangered

on the IUCN Red List

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is widely recognised as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species

Auckland Zoo’s giraffe herd is part of an

Australasian regional breeding programme

Male Zabulu is a Rothschild’s and females Rukiya and daughter Shira, are part-Rothschild’s

wildlife

road rules and

To avoid the hazard of encountering elephants at night, we aim to be at our campsite by dusk. Large numbers of them migrate through this five-country KAZA area, and this year’s particularly dry summer has seen many stay near the perennial waters of the Kwanda River.

If there’s one rule in Africa to know, it’s that elephants have right-of-way. One night, we had to remain in our vehicles while an elephant herd wandered through our camp.

They brushed against our tents, and I held my breath as one of these giant creatures knocked the side mirror of the vehicle I was driving – scary, but totally exhilarating!

In the evenings, we’d sit around an open fire eating dinner, and recount our day; the number of times we’d had to dig our vehicles out of sandy tracks or fix flat tyres and the extraordinary and beautiful wildlife we’d encountered. I was lucky enough to be able to report leopard, wild dog, honey badger, hippo, fish eagle, zebra, sable, springbok, impala, wildebeest, vervet monkeys, mongoose, hyena, and more besides.

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Northland green gecko Naultinus grayii

PHOTO: Brian Cairns

aucklandzoo.co.nz

In the

wild

North CSI into balding birds

Something is making one of our most colourful New Zealand native parrots, the kākāriki, go bald.

Bethany Jackson explains.

Zoo staff, scientists, an army of volunteers, and community and school groups have been assisting me in a three-year research project on Tiritiri Matangi Island to find out the cause.

We suspected it might be the infamous Beak and Feather Disease Virus (BFDV); a virus that only affects parrots and is often fatal in young birds, and may cause feather loss, and even death, in adult birds. Previously, researchers had found this virus on Little Barrier Island, so we suspected it might be on Tiritiri Matangi too.

In the first year of this study, BFDV was found in just a few kākāriki on Tiritiri Matangi. But we discovered a puzzling result; birds with feather loss were not the ones infected with the virus that causes feather loss!

A kakariki suffering from feather loss, and (below left) a healthy kakariki.

Solving the mystery We delved a bit deeper into this mystery, and started collecting a small piece of skin from all birds whilst under anesthetic, to see if we could find the problem inside the skin layers. At the same time, we were collecting a fly called a ‘flat fly’ that lives in the feathers of birds.

There we discovered our answer to the balding kākāriki on Tiritiri Matangi: a mite buried in the skin and feather follicles was causing a skin reaction and feather loss.

In some cases, birds were nearly bald, and we suspect this affects their general health and potentially their ability to survive.

Protecting what’s precious Understanding disease in wild kākāriki is important. It’s vital not only for the conservation of this species, but for understanding threats to New Zealand’s critically endangered and unique parrots, the kākāpō and the orange fronted parakeet.

A big part of wildlife conservation in New Zealand involves moving birds to new areas to restore populations, so we need to make sure these movements do not spread diseases as well. We can only do this if we know what causes diseases in the first place.

Find out ways to make your urban environment native bird-friendly at: www.doc.govt.nz/features/archive/encouraging-backyard-wildlife/

By Bethany Jackson Veterinary Resident, Auckland Zoo 14 ZooAlive Spring 2013

PHOTO: Martin Sanders

Otago Skink.

PHOTO: Brian Cairns

In the

wild

South

Saving two southern stunners The South Island’s Grand and Otago skinks are two of New Zealand’s rarest reptiles, and among this country’s largest lizards.

“This should give the lizards a reprieve from predators and stop further population decline. It’ll also give us time to work on a longerterm strategy to ensure a secure future for these unique, shy and extraordinarily beautiful lizards,” says Richard Gibson.

Populations of these stunning skinks were once widespread across the Otago highlands, from the east coast, and west to Wanaka.

Due to habitat loss and introduced predators, today these ‘Critically Endangered’ reptiles are found in just eight per cent of their former southwestern range.

Breeding programme

Recognising the urgent need to reverse this trend, the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund (AZCF) has stepped in to help – both practically and financially.

Auckland Zoo has also joined DOC’s captive breeding recovery programme for these western skinks. Given successful breeding, and the ability to secure safe release sites, the plan is to release Zoo-bred offspring back to the wild.

You can see eastern region Otago skinks in Te Wao Nui’s High Country area (Whenua Waotū) at Auckland Zoo.

Initial start-up funding of more than $17,000 has been provided by AZCF to start a programme to help protect western populations.

This includes predator control and monitoring – which is being done in partnership with the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Securing safe habitat Earlier this year, Zoo staff teamed up with DOC, local landowners and a group of local conservation volunteers to help implement a predator control programme in the Grandview Range near Wanaka.

“The success of DOC’s skink programme in eastern Otago shows how important predator control is for the survival of Otago skinks and other reptiles, and we’re really excited to be playing a part in what we hope will be an equally remarkable recovery of western populations“ says the Zoo’s NZ Fauna Curator, Richard Gibson To help secure safe habitat for these previously unprotected western region skinks, the team set 168 traps over 9km of trails that covered 580ha of skink habitat.

Fast Facts

Grand Skink.

PHOTO: Richard Gibson

Otago skinks can grow up to 30cm and Grand skinks 23cm

Like all New Zealand lizards, Grand and Otago skinks give birth to fully formed young (2-3 each year)

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WORLDVIEW

Message

Mauritius from

For the first time, the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT) is running its post-graduate course in endangered species recovery on the island of Mauritius.

With the support of Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund, Auckland Zoo bird keeper Natalie Clark is one of just six international students participating in this Durrell Conservation Academy internship.

It’s a dream come true for the 29-year-old Kiwi who has been inspired by the books and conservation work of naturalist Gerald Durrell since childhood.

From Mauritius, Natalie shares her experience…

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Mauritius is a small island in the Indian Ocean 2,000km off the southeast coast of Africa.

As I’m fast discovering, it is a wildlife paradise and home to some of our planet’s rarest plants and animals. The work being done here to save species from extinction is one of the world’s greatest conservation success stories.

The endemic fauna (wildlife species only naturally found here) of Mauritius are managed by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF), an NGO that works closely with the DWCT. I’m here for four months to learn about and contribute to some of this conservation work, and to gain as much experience as I can to bring back and share with my Zoo colleagues.

Fieldwork is a big focus. MWF has six field stations on Mauritius itself, and two others on offshore islands - Ile aux Aigrettes and Round Island. These islands offer amazing learning experiences, and I’ve noticed many similarities with the way these and New Zealand offshore islands are managed.

Ile aux Aigrettes In the 16th century, Dutch explorers unfortunately ate many endemic species on Mauritius to extinction and destroyed vast forest areas, including on Ile aux Aigrettes.

MWF took over the lease of 26ha Ile aux Aigrettes in 1986 and began eradicating pests, replanting, and restoring the island with species once found there.

In 1994, the pink pigeon was re-introduced.

The Mauritian fody, the olive white-eye, Telfar’s skink and many others followed.

More recently a seabird project has been set up, where seabird guano (poo) provides useful nutrients for the island’s plants.

A highlight for Natalie was assisting MWF staff with disease screening of pink pigeon, and checking young squabs (baby pigeons) in their nests.

In the 1980s, the wild pink pigeon population declined to just 12 birds, but through the work of MWF, the population has now risen to around 350.

Fast facts A member of the Commonwealth, Mauritius is famous for its flightless Dodo, which went extinct in the 17th century Mauritius is surrounded by the world’s third largest coral reef Measuring a juvenile Aldabran tortoise on Round Island as part of regular surveying of the island’s tortoises, and banding a Round Island petrel chick.

Round and rich Round Island, 22.5km northeast of Mauritius, is home to seabirds, skinks, geckos, scorpions, tortoises, Mauritius’s famous tropical birds and migrating humpback whales.

The 214ha closed nature reserve is jointly managed by MWF and the National Parks and Conservation Service, so is off limits to the general public.

Round’s closed reserve status since 1957 has undoubtedly contributed to helping its flora and fauna flourish. I spent two weeks here with fellow students Amy (Jersey) and Jess (Adelaide).

The stringent biosecurity checks we went through prior to leaving and on arrival to prevent pests getting onto this completely pest-free island were impressive.

Round is an internationally important seabird island. Every evening 40,000 – 80,000 wedge-tailed shearwaters arrive back from a day out fishing, find their spot to rest, then proceed to howl like ghosts all night. Earplugs are essential!

By day, the sky fills with Mauritius’s red-tailed and white-tailed tropical birds and rare Round Island petrels that soar in the gusty easterly winds. Amy, Jess and I assisted with petrel nest site surveys.

The day before we left, we also searched bird nests for chicks suitable for translocating to Ile aux Aigrettes as part of MWF’s Seabird Project, and were delighted to find four red-tailed and two white-tailed chicks the right size.

These magnificent creatures are regularly seen around Mauritius at this time, and we were able to spend time whale watching and recording data about their numbers and location for the Mauritius Marine Conservation Society.

Kiwi connection

Gerald Durrell’s contribution to international conservation and his belief that a single individual can make a difference is what inspires me in my work at Auckland Zoo. My time on Mauritius has taken that inspiration to a whole new level.

In the 1970s, New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) staff assisted the MWF to eradicate goats from Round Island.

In 1986, Kiwis returned, including conservationist Don Merton, to tackle the even tougher task of eradicating rabbits – achieved over a three-month period.

Don Merton also went on to create Round Island’s first conservation management plan in 1989.

Snakes and whales Over three nights we intensively surveyed for Round Island boa and found six of these rare endemic snakes including a juvenile and adult that hadn’t been found before.

We also came across many Guenther’s geckos, Durrell night geckos and scorpions.

As well as the island’s wildlife, we were treated to almost daily visits from humpback whales in the surrounding ocean.

The Endangered Round Island boa is found nowhere else in the world. Thanks to a restoration programme, its population has grown from 250 animals in the 1990s to around 1000 today.

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5 questions with

Dave Fane

Dave Fane is one of New Zealand’s favourite comic actors.

He is easily recognised from Naked Samoans, Outrageous Fortune, Sione’s Wedding and Love Birds (which Auckland Zoo features in), to name just a few.

His unmistakable voice and humour are put to great use as a morning host for Flava 95.8 and in the bro’Town cartoon. Dave’s also an Auckland Zoo volunteer.

How long have you been a Zoo volunteer?

Favourite Zoo memory?

bout two years, but I’ve been coming to the Zoo for yonks.

A My kids are Friends of the Zoo and we’ve got our family pass.

It’s really interesting to see what they see, watching what changes at the Zoo, becoming more environmentally aware, and learning about the animals.

hen I was a kid, I remember W coming to see Kashin in the Old Elephant House. I would have been eight or nine. I stood there for ages and my mother moved on but I was just mesmerised.

They were the happiest two hours of just standing there.

I didn’t see the rest of the Zoo because they came back round and said ‘you been here all that time?’ and I replied ‘yeeeah, the whole time’. It was just magic.

What made you volunteer?

M y kids. One day one of the kids said ‘why don’t you volunteer and do some real work, dad?’ and I thought yeah, why not. There are very few things I would volunteer for, apart from the other thing I’m thinking of, and I was lucky that they [Auckland Zoo] said yes.

Favourite animal?

Best thing about being a volunteer? hen you learn something new, are W excited about it, and you get to share it, and people are like ‘wow! Really? ’

18 ZooAlive Spring 2013

Orangutan, the gentlemen of the forest. Orangutans have the most gorgeous eyes. If you ever want to see nature at its finest, take a look at an orangutan’s face – there’s so much beneath it and behind the eyes, and that’s evolution. And they have huge strength. I’m pretty strong but I wouldn’t take on an orangutan in an arm wrestle, or I’d lose my arm.

OURPEOPLE

Lou Parker Getting to know

Reptile and invertebrate keeper Lou Parker lives and breathes animal care. Not only does she care for a large collection of animals at the Zoo, she also looks after an extraordinary family of animals at her home in Dairy Flat.

How many animals live with you?

44! One inland bearded dragon, three coastal bearded dragons, three eastern water dragons, 24 fire bellied newts, four rainbow lorikeets, three cats, five dogs and a Cunningham skink. I pretty much do zookeeping all day every day.

Family photo?

That might be a bit hard to organise and fit everyone in!

What’s your passion?

Providing the best animal husbandry for each of our animals at the Zoo is my buzz.

We do this by looking closely at their natural habitats and mimicking them the best we can.

We control whole environments for animals – temperature, humidity, UV access and water quality – and all these change according to seasons. We really have to be on our toes to predict when to adjust and change any or all of the above.

Most enjoyable thing about being a keeper?

Talking to people about animals and conservation and seeing them get really blown away by meeting animals.

It’s that kind of interaction with people that changes behaviour towards the environment.

It was heavy work, but it’s exciting to be able to help and protect an area like this.

Seeing where these skinks live has also really helped me understand their biology and how they work. Collaborating with with DOC staff was brilliant, they’re really cool people – and so fit!

Favourite animal?

That’s a hard one ! Top of my list are Galapagos and leopard tortoises, tuatara, native geckos and skinks, tarantulas, and Australia’s water dragons and bearded dragons.

As a keeper, your role also takes you into the field to work on zoo-related conservation and research projects. Where have you been recently?

Earlier this year, I was incredibly lucky to join a team made up of Department of Conservation (DOC) staff and volunteers, to assist with an Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund (AZCF) project, protecting 580 hectares of Otago skink habitat in Grandview Range, near Wanaka.

Lau shares her love of inland bearded dragons.

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Gg giraffe The giraffe is the tallest animal in the world.

It lives in Africa.

A giraffe foot is called a hoof. It’s like a hard shoe for walking over rocky ground.

ossicones (giraffe horns)

neck

A giraffe has 7 neck bones – the same as you.

A giraffe’s neck is very long so it can reach up to eat the leaves on tall trees.

tail

Giraffes can run very fast (over 50km per hour).

That’s as fast as you ride in the car with your family!

What colour are the spots on the giraffe’s fur?

There are 7 letters in

giraffe can you count them?

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hoof

KIDS CARE FOR

KIWI

New Zealanders are proud Kiwis – named after our kiwi bird.

We even have a kiwi on our one dollar coin.

A lot of things make kiwi special • The kiwi is the only bird with nostrils at the tip of its beak. This helps it to smell out food on and under the ground.

(Kiwi are omnivores and eat small animals and berries) • It produces an enormous egg – that takes up 20% of the female’s body!

The North Island brown kiwi dad incubates the egg for over 70 days.

The chick is on its own after hatching.

But humans brought stoats, cats, rats, dogs and possums. They kill kiwi, especially kiwi chicks.

• Mammal-like whiskers help the kiwi feel its way in the dark – very useful, since the kiwi is nocturnal (most active at night) and has poor eyesight.

Auckland Zoo helps kiwi through the BNZ Operation Nest Egg programme. We have released over 260 kiwi chicks into safe kiwi areas in the wild.

• The kiwi is flightless with tiny wings, and has heavy bones that contain marrow (not light bones that contain air sacs like other birds).

Get involved: Join groups helping to get rid of pest predators like rats, stoats and possums. Visit www.kiwisforkiwi.org

Kiwi adapted to the way New Zealand was before humans – a land without mammal predators.

You can help kiwi

Break the Code of this cryptogram to find out how to protect our precious kiwi!

Every letter has a matching number. Use the numbers to decode the message.

B 15

A 23 J 24 R 1 PHOTO: Otorohanga Kiwi House and Birdlife Park

Q A

— — 25 19

C 16 K 26

S 9

D 14 L 4

T 21

— — — 16 23 17

E 19 M 10

U 13

F 3 N 17

V 8

— — — 23 4 4

G 8 O 7

W 25

P 11 X 12

— — — — 20 19 4 11

— — — — — — — 26 19 19 11 2 17 8

— — — 7 13 1

What kind of bird opens doors?

— — — — — — — 16 7 17 21 1 7 4

— — — — 25 20 19 17

A Kiwi!

— — — — 26 2 25 2

— — — — 14 7 8 9 — — 25 19

H 20

I 2 Q 6

Y 22

Z 5

— — — — 26 2 25 2

— — 15 22

— — — — — 13 17 14 19 1 — — — 23 1 19

— — 2 17

— — — — — — — 20 23 15 2 21 23 21

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Answer: We can all help kiwi by keeping our dogs under control when we are near kiwi habitat.

Friends of the Zoo member and singer-songwriter Anika Moa is adopting the red panda: “My little boys love all animals, but I think these pandas have cute cornered; they’ve totally won me over!

Kiwi would be my next pick; I was lucky enough to join the Zoo on a kiwi release once – these birds are the best.”

become a

panda’s parent We are excited to announce the relaunch of our Adopt an Animal memberships, including the new Adopt an Animal Crate.

We have eight amazing animals you can choose to adopt; Asian elephant, giraffe, kea, kiwi, New Zealand fur seal, orangutan, red panda and Sumatran tiger. Adopt crates cost just $50 for a one-year adoption and are now available for purchase from the Zoo’s WildZone gift shop.

Each box includes a personalised adoption certificate, a soft toy of your adopted animal, an ‘adult’ admission voucher so you can visit your species, a copy of Zoo Alive, and a fact sheet so you can learn about the new addition to your family. Adoptees can also sign up to receive a quarterly email update.

red panda

We have also refreshed our other Adopt categories and are now offering Adopt Experience and Adopt VIP if you’re looking to make a truly special contribution. Whatever option you pick, it is a great gift for yourself or for a loved one!

Check out our website for more details about these great new membership options, which all help the Zoo in its work to conserve and build a future for wildlife, here and around the world.

Put up

your paw!

There are many great reasons to become an Auckland Zoo volunteer.

Along with the new friends you make and the cool red jacket you wear, you play an important role in helping enrich our visitors, staff and animals’ lives. Our volunteers get to spend time in the stunning and award-winning environment that is Auckland Zoo, and have a unique opportunity to expand their knowledge about wildlife and conservation and share this with our visitors.

Our current team of 250 collectively contributed an incredible 36,000 hours volunteering over the past year, that’s how much they love it! People are your primary focus. But volunteers can also apply to work on section assisting keepers with a range of tasks.

Interestingly, some of our keepers started out as volunteers.

Participation in the dynamic and ever-changing environment of Auckland Zoo is extremely rewarding. If you’re 18 or over, find out how you can join the team in red by visiting www.aucklandzoo.co.nz.

Top: Volunteer and keeper–in–training Caroline Ashley, cuts up veges for the Zoo’s orangutans.

Below: Volunteer Esther Heynen, pictured with keeper Michelle Mudford, puts out kea enrichments she has helped make.

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friendsof the Zoo news and offers for our members

Great effort to grow greens Friends descended on Corban Reserve in June to help the Zoo plant over 700 seedlings that will be satisfying the appetites of giraffe, orangutan, Galapagos tortoise and other hungry herbivores in a year’s time.

The fun Saturday morning workout for all ages also included a sausage sizzle lunch, free face painting, and a bouncy castle for the kids.

Over 2,000 fast-growing natives (mostly Coprosma) which can be regularly harvested, have been planted on spare land at five West Auckland parks as part of the Auckland Zoo Browse Projects with community boards and parks.

Browse (plant matter) is a key part of many Zoo herbivore animal diets.

It more accurately reflects the types of food these animals would eat in the wild, and keeps them foraging for longer periods than an old-fashioned bowl of fruit and veges.

Join a friend to win As a current Friend, sign up your BFF, a relative or workmate as a new Friends of the Zoo member and we’ll put you both in the draw to each win a double pass for a fabulous Auckland Zoo Coastal Experience.

Simply email us at zoofriends@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz with your name, membership number, phone number, along with your friend’s name and membership number (once they’ve received it). You’ll require permission from your friend, and need to ‘cc’ them into your email. You can enter as many times as you like but for each new friend you join up, you must send a new entry, and provide the same details requested above.

To be eligible, you must be 16 years+, and all parties must be available on Sunday 20 October for the experience. For full details, terms and conditions on the Coastal Experience,

visit www.aucklandzoo.co.nz

Cat Carruthers (left) and Friends of the Zoo member Jenny Nicholls meet Californian sea lion Scuttle with keeper Joel Milicich.

Auckland Zoo welcomed a record 716,000 visitors over the past year, and that included 152,000 Friends of the Zoo visits!

“

716,000

As our Friends, you are greatly valued members of the Zoo family. Our thanks to you all for your wonderful support, which plays a really significant role in enabling us to grow our efforts for wildlife and provide exceptional experiences for you and all our visitors.

“

Thanks heaps!

Competition closes 30 September.

Zoo director Jonathan Wilcken.

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Spring Conservation Week

Africa Night

Cocktail evening

7 – 15 September / 9.30am – 5.30pm

20 October / 4.30pm – 9.30pm

Conservation Week 2013 is celebrating with the theme ‘What’s your whanau doing?’ Bring your whanau into the Zoo and join in our fun conservation workshops, find out what the Zoo and other conservation groups are doing and how you can get involved. We’ll also have storytelling, guided walks, additional animal encounters, and free face-painting.

Get up close to some of our African animals at this exclusive fundraiser for the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund and Zoological Society of Auckland. This event also includes a guest speaker, auction, and traditional African dinner. Cost: $90 per person To book, phone 360 3805.

Saturday 16 November / 7pm – 12pm Montage Bar, Pt Chevalier

Rhino Weekend 21 – 22 September / 10am – 3pm It’s World Rhino Day and Auckland Zoo is celebrating with fun rhino games and activities including special rhino encounters and a rhino (gold coin donation) quiz that puts you in the draw to win the chance to meet our rhinos!

School Holidays 28 Sept – 13 October / 9.30am – 5.30pm Bring the kids along to the Zoo for some exciting holiday activities. Visit our website from mid-September for details.

Heritage Festival Te Wao Nui (NZ Precinct) Tours: Tues 8 Oct 11am – 12 noon & Sun 13 Oct 12 noon – 1pm Back to the Future (History) Tours: Tues 1 Oct 11am – 12 noon & Sun 6 Oct 12 noon – 1pm Celebrate Auckland Zoo’s 90-year heritage by getting along to our fascinating Heritage Festival tours. Cost: gold coin donation (additional to Zoo admission).

To book, phone 360 4700 or email zooexperiences@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

WildZone Gift Shop Jumbo Sale Thurs 31 October / 4.30pm – 9.00pm WildZone’s fabulous annual jumbo sale features at least 20% off storewide, and up to 70% off selected items. All profits go to the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund.

Orangutan Caring Week 9 – 17 November / 9.30am – 5.30pm Join us in celebrating Orangutan Caring Week 2013 – ‘Unite to fight the extinction of the orangutan’. There will be daily orangutan encounters, story-telling, face painting, and lots of fun orangutan-themed games and activities.

The Great Ape Race Thursday 14 November / 6pm – 8pm Round up your family, friends or workmates and team up for an amazing race around the Zoo to raise money for orangutan conservation. No experience required.

Cost: $25 for adults, $10 for children and $60 for a family (2 adults & 2 children or 1 adult & 3 children) - includes Zoo admission.

Pre-register at www.aucklandzoo.co.nz

Don’t miss this special fundraiser in celebration of Orangutan Caring Week, featuring live music, celebrity MC, delicious cocktails and nibbles, an auction, and great spot prizes. All profits will go to support the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme.

Ticket information and further details at www.aucklandzoo.co.nz

Normal Zoo admission prices apply. Friends of the Zoo free to events unless specified.

Last entry is 4.15pm for daytime events at Auckland Zoo.