23 June 2010
CDHB Operating Table Used to Neuter Lions
A male Lion cub will get 'the snip' tomorrow morning at Orana Wildlife Park. Last week the Park's two other male cubs were vasectomised. The one year old cats, each weighing 65kg, are being neutered to prevent future inbreeding and to create a more harmonious pride as the Lions age. The procedure tomorrow will take place on an operating table donated by the Canterbury District Health Board.
Animal Collection Manager, Ian Adams, says it is important to neuter the cubs before they get too much bigger: "Lions can be extremely aggressive animals and fight for dominance of their pride and over females. Past experience has shown us that neutering male Lion cubs significantly reduces infighting and aggression amongst the cats when they mature. It is therefore an effective way to manage our cats."
"We gratefully acknowledge the CDHB for donating the operating table. It is perfect for the cubs' operation and will be an extremely useful piece of equipment for any future operations for animals weighing up to 250kg - that includes virtually all of our smaller hoofstock animals such as Zebra, through to our larger carnivores," adds Ian.
The Canterbury District Health Board was pleased to help out when Ian Adams contacted them to see if an unused operating table was available for operations at the park, says Marie Lory, Peri-operative Nurse Manager at Christchurch Hospital.
We are very happy to have one of our older manual operating tables continue its life at Orana Wildlife Park. Technology improvements have meant that the CDHB has a planned replacement programme for our operating tables which means that we sometimes have tables available that we don't use any longer," says Marie.
Fifteen Lions currently live at Orana Wildlife Park including five youngsters (three males and two females). The five little Lions are the result of long term planning that involved transferring two male Lions, Malik and Zulu, from Wellington Zoo on a temporary breeding loan. Park staff plan to introduce Malik and Zulu to three other Lionesses in the near future so we are hopeful of many more cubs.
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14 June 2010
Eco Friendly Name for Calf
Orana Wildlife Park's Rhino calf was officially named 'Eco' at an event today. The naming rights for the little Rhino were auctioned on TradeMe and the winning bidder (at $5,350) was Carpet Court Christchurch City.
Orana's Public Relations Manager, Nathan Hawke, says staff are thrilled: "The name Eco was chosen as it relates to an exclusive new brand of carpet that was actually durability tested by a Rhino – we think this is a fantastic fit with our calf and a great story. Additionally, 'Eco' is a very appropriate link with the conservation aims of our organisation."
Carpet Court Christchurch City's owner, Laura-Jean Fitzgibbon, says her team is very excited to be able to name the Rhino calf: "We admire the role Orana Wildlife Park plays in the White Rhino breeding programme and are delighted to have the privilege of naming the beautiful baby boy. The link between the boisterous calf and Carpet Court is based upon a unique story. Eco-strand is a revolutionary new fibre which embodies the tough, resilient characteristics of a Rhino, whilst remaining super soft and luxurious to touch. Eco-strand has in fact survived a thorough testing by a Rhino named Ricko in America."
"Over the course of a 14 day period, Ricko lived on the Eco-strand carpet and made the kind of mess only a one and a half tonne Rhino could produce! After this time, the carpet was washed and it immediately bounced back into shape and all the stains were cleaned with just warm water and a mild bio-friendly detergent. With these thoughts in mind, we thought winning the auction was a fantastic opportunity to align the Eco-strand name with this delightful calf" adds Laura-Jean.
Park staff were thrilled with the TradeMe auction result. Aside from the positive new partnership formed with Carpet Court Christchurch City and the funds generated, there were numerous other benefits: "Nearly 48,000 people viewed the listing over the week! Most importantly, we were able to engage with viewers by answering 350 questions - this enabled us to discuss a range of topics from the plight of Rhinos through to how people can help native species. One of our roles as a modern zoo is conservation advocacy and this auction generated mass awareness of our delightful little Rhino calf. The profile generated through this exercise was overwhelming" says Nathan.
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Hey kids! We want you to download the image, colour this in and complete the details then bring it in to Carpet Court either at 309 Cashel Street, Christchurch OR 98 Williams Street, Kaiapoi
(To download the colouring competition image, right click on the cartoon Rhino, select Save Target As and then print it from your harddrive).
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All entries will go in the draw to receive a child’s pass to Orana Wildlife Park for you to come and meet little Eco, our Rhino calf.
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14 June 2010
Trade Me Auction Results in Name for Rhino Calf
Orana Wildlife Park's six week old Rhino calf will be named at a ceremony tomorrow afternoon (1pm). The naming rights for the delightful 'little' Rhino (now weighing over 70kg) were auctioned on Trade Me and the listing closed last Thursday night. After a late flurry of bids, the winning amount was $5,350 which will support Orana's White Rhino breeding programme.
The winning bidder will remain anonymous until the naming event tomorrow where they will announce the name of the calf. Orana's Public Relations Manager, Nathan Hawke, is delighted with the result of the auction: "The successful bidder has a fantastic and rather surprising fit with the Park's objectives. Whilst they will remain a mystery until the ceremony, I can hint that they are tied in with an amazing story which will really 'wow' the public. This is the first time we have utilised Trade Me for fundraising purposes and the results have been superb. Orana is a registered charitable trust so fundraising is key part of our operation."
There were numerous other benefits of the auction, aside from the funds generated. "Nearly 48,000 people viewed the listing over the week! Most importantly, we were able to engage with viewers by answering 350 questions - this enabled us to discuss a range of topics from the plight of Rhinos through to how people can help native species. One of our roles as a modern zoo is conservation advocacy and this auction generated mass awareness of our delightful little Rhino calf. The profile generated through this exercise was overwhelming and has also resulted in increased visitation to the Park and our website" adds Hawke.
Animal Collection Manager, Ian Adams, says the calf is progressing nicely: "He is developing well and enjoying spending time in his new surroundings. He has been blissfully unaware of the hype surrounding his name."
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1 June 2010
Baby Boy Rhino at Orana!
Following a mammoth 17 month pregnancy White Rhino, Tamu (7), became a first time mum five weeks ago, delivering a 55kg calf! This morning, the yet to be named male calf made his first public appearance and everything went to plan with the young calf thrilling the onlookers.
Animal Collection Manager, Ian Adams, says staff had been monitoring Tamu throughout her pregnancy: "We were pleased that everything went smoothly. Keepers arrived at work on a Saturday morning to find the healthy calf had been born overnight which was a nice surprise for staff. Due to the richness of the mother's milk, Rhino calves can gain more than 2kg per day in their first few months. Our calf is growing steadily and now weighs around 70kg."
Tamu, and another female Rhino, Katala, were transferred to Orana in 2007 from Perth Zoo to inject new bloodlines into Orana's Rhino herd and enhance breeding potential. "Naturally, staff are delighted that all the work involved in that transfer has resulted in a healthy calf" says Ian.
Katala and Tamu have been reunited behind the scenes and they, along with the calf, will move to a display exhibit giving visitors the chance to see the delightful calf. "We had hoped that the calf would be on display sooner, but the recent spell of wet weather has meant the calf has remained tucked up with Tamu in the warmth of their night shelter."
Seven Rhinos now live at Orana and in due course Tamu and her calf will be integrated with another two females and then one male. Since producing her calf, Tamu has become a much more assertive Rhino and staff members expect there may be a change in hierarchy amongst the herd. "It is great to see Tamu's maternal instincts kick in" adds Ian.
The baby is just the second Rhino to be born at Orana. The first calf, Ibutho, was born in 1999 and he was the first Rhino born in New Zealand. Ibutho now lives in Australia. Male Rhino, Cyrano (23), has sired both calves. "The parents of both calves are captive born animals. Both births are therefore significant achievements for Orana as the reproduction rate of captive born White Rhinos in captivity is extremely low" adds Ian.
Park staff are planning a naming competition, via an auction (Trade Me) where people can bid for the chance to name this boisterous calf. In the meantime, visitors will have the chance to view the calf, although this will only be on fine weather days and he will continue to have access to the night area (meaning viewing time will be limited) until he settles into his new surroundings.
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7 May 2010
Multiple Mums for Gorgeous Chick
Orana Wildlife Park's seventeen day old Kiwi chick is lucky enough to have multiple 'mums' all checking its ongoing development! Head Keeper of Native Fauna, Tara Atkinson, describes the role of her team with the baby: "We spend a lot of time checking on the progress of our gorgeous little Kiwi chick. Each day we need to monitor the chick's weight, check how much food it has eaten and ensure that its navel and vent are clean and clear. We all feel like proud mums as the chick reaches each milestone, such as starting to eat and gaining weight."
The healthy chick is the second Kiwi hatched at the Park within six months. The arrival of the baby is the combined effort of staff members at Southern Encounter Aquarium & Kiwi House (where parent birds Tu and Ana produced the egg) and
Orana Wildlife Park (where at 43 days the egg was transferred for incubation - it hatched at 69 days). Both attractions are operated by Orana Wildlife Trust.
The fluffy little chick now weighs 236 grams, 30 grams under its hatch weight of 266 grams. Upon hatching, Kiwi chicks continue to loose weight for around ten days whilst they slowly absorb an internal yolk sac. They put on weight once they start eating.
"The next milestone will be when the chick reaches its hatch weight. We are thrilled with the progress of our little baby though and it is developing a very distinct attitude – it's very feisty and extremely fast at running around its home. The chick remains off public display in the warmth of its brooder" adds Tara.
Kiwi are under constant threat, particularly from introduced mammals and habitat loss. Captive breeding programmes play a vital role in the conservation of the species. People can help wild Kiwi by being more aware that dogs kill Kiwi and hence need to be controlled in Kiwi habitat.
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22 April 2010
Kiwi Egg from Aquarium Hatches at Zoo
A 266 gram Kiwi chick hatched at Orana Wildlife Park on Tuesday night! The arrival of the baby is the combined effort of staff members at Southern Encounter Aquarium & Kiwi House, where parent birds Tu (five) and Ana (three) produced the egg, and Orana Wildlife Park, where at 43 days the egg was transferred for incubation. Both attractions are operated by Orana Wildlife Trust.
Southern Encounter Operations Manager, Dave Bradshaw is delighted that the first viable egg produced at the attraction has hatched: "We are stoked that Tu and Ana produced a chick. It is a credit to the team that a viable egg was produced in a Nocturnal House. Our guides work hard to ensure that the birds live in a stress free environment. The fact that the egg was incubated in this display demonstrates they are relaxed in their environment. We take this opportunity to thank the public for their understanding whilst our Kiwi incubated the egg, as our Kiwi display was affected during this time".
Head Keeper of Native Fauna, Tara Atkinson, says her team incubated a 'speedy egg': "The chick hatched at just 69 days - the 'normal' hatch period for Kiwi is 75-82 days. Tu the male is obviously a very good sitter as throughout the incubation the egg always looked at least seven days more advanced than 'normal' meaning he looked after the egg very well. The chick is gorgeous and we are very privileged to work with these amazing national treasures."
Once the egg was harvested for artificial incubation (which is considered best practice in captivity), staff continually monitored the egg's development. Staff performed a range of tasks including manually turning the egg four times each day and candling the egg twice each week (shining a light through the egg) to check growth rates and watch for any anomalies such as cracks or incorrect positioning of the chick.
"We are delighted to have had two chicks hatch at the Park within six months. Both chicks were born to young, first time parents, so we hope that we will be very busy incubating many Kiwi chicks next breeding season. Sadly, the first chick died in January as it faced many issues but this latest chick appears to be a very healthy animal" adds Tara.
Whilst Park staff are busy monitoring the new chick, a range of Kiwi transfers will commence this week. A young female Kiwi is due to arrive from Otorohanga Kiwi House on Friday. Then, the Park will send a young female to Queenstown (Kiwi & Birdlife Park). These transfers will form two new breeding pairs. Tu and Ana will soon be transferred to Orana's outdoor breeding unit and two young Kiwi will then move to Southern Encounter.
"It really is a delight to work with Kiwi chicks – they are such wonderful animals and our team is all very excited by the prospect of watching the little chick progress" says Tara.
Kiwi are under constant threat, particularly from introduced mammals as well as habitat loss and captive breeding programmes play a vital role in the conservation of the species. People can help wild Kiwi by being more aware that dogs kill Kiwi and hence need to be controlled in Kiwi habitat.
"If people are visiting suspected Kiwi habitat we urge them to leave their dog at home, or keep it on a leash at all times. If land owner's have property bordering bush land, we hope people will become aware that Kiwi frequently forage at the bush margin and pastures. In this situation, it is best to keep dogs contained at night. All of these measures will help conserve Kiwi" concludes Tara.
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15 April 2010
Swinging Siamang Celebrates 1st Birthday
Jasper, Orana Wildlife Park's sprightly young Siamang Gibbon ape, turned one yesterday and his keepers prepared piñata presents for the birthday celebration. Jasper was the first ape born at Orana and the little primate is popular with visitors as he is a very active animal. The Siamang exhibit has always been an intriguing area for visitors owing to the wonderful loud singing of the Siamangs, but the addition of a baby has made the habitat even more interesting.
Animal Collection Manager, Ian Adams, says Jasper is an important animal for the regional breeding programme: "Jasper's father, Oscar, is a new founder animal for the Australasian Species Management Programme for Siamangs and was transferred from Singapore Zoo in 2006. He is a confiscated wild caught animal and provides genuine new bloodlines as he is unrelated to all other Siamangs in this region meaning Jasper is a genetically valuable animal."
Primate Keeper, Nichola Creighton, says Jasper is a delight to work with: "He is very cute and is progressing nicely and really seemed to enjoy the piñata presents we placed on the island yesterday. Jasper is a quick learner and is especially good at swinging across ropes and climbing trees. He is even starting to squeak along when his parents sing!"
Siamangs normally live in family groups and once a youngster is weaned from its mother, the father then takes over the primary caregiver role. To the delight of staff, Oscar is proving to be a fantastic father: "Jasper spends most of his time with his dad and is starting to wander off on his own. However, he is still very dependent and Oscar is a very attentive father, in fact Jasper only needs to make one squeak and Oscar drops what he is doing to rush to Jasper. Mother Peggy gave Jasper a great start to life so both of our Siamangs have been good parents" adds Nichola.
Siamang Gibbons are classified as 'Endangered' by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). The species is threatened due to a number of factors, particularly habitat loss as their forest home is being destroyed especially for Palm oil plantation. The illegal pet trade also continues to make a negative impact upon wild Siamang populations. Park staff members encourage people to embrace the 'Think Globally, Act Locally' idea to help Siamangs: "We consider conservation to be everyone's responsibility. Locally, people can assist by ensuring they purchase Palm oil free products" adds Ian.
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12 April 2010
Bitter-sweet Cheetah Celebration
Orana Wildlife Park's four hand-raised Cheetah, Kunjuka, Shomari, Cango and Mazza, celebrated their first birthday on Friday! Last year, Park staff saved the cats by choosing to hand-raise them, as their first time mother, Kura, abandoned the cubs. One year later, the cats are thriving and visitors can have a personal encounter with them.
During the cubs' first six weeks of life, two animal keepers worked a 12 hour, 7 day a week shift, tending to the needs of the cubs. The keepers' roles included feeding, cleaning and toileting the animals as well as carefully monitoring their growth rates.
Graeme Petrie, Orana's Head Keeper of Exotic Mammals (and one of the two staff who hand-raised the cubs), is delighted with their progress: "It has been a privilege to see these cats develop over the past year. They each have distinct personalities and we still have daily contact with them. They are awesome animals."
Sadly, the birthday celebration is bitter-sweet for Park staff who were devastated by the sudden loss of Kura, the cats' mother, just over a week ago (aged five and a half). The post mortem indicates she died of enteritis but further testing is taking place to provide more specific information. Last November, Kura produced her second litter of cubs and she was a fantastic mother to those four cats (three males and one female). Aged four and a half months, the cubs are old enough to survive on their own, but remain off public display.
Animal Collection Manager, Ian Adams, says the past week has been a rough time for staff: "Kura's passing is a massive loss for us. She was born here in 2004 and made a significant contribution to the captive breeding programme for her species by producing eight cubs. She is sadly missed but her legacy lives on through her cubs and it is nice to celebrate the birthday of her first litter of cats."
Cheetah are a flagship species for Orana and to date nineteen cats have been raised (eighteen Cheetah currently live at the Park). Orana has experienced breeding success with three Queens over the years now. The Park is the only New Zealand zoo currently breeding Cheetah as part of the international breeding programme.
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23 March 2010
Prize for Protected Parrots
Orana Wildlife Park's new walk-through Kea habitat was judged the winner of an Exhibit Design Award (small scale category - under $500,000) at the regional Zoo and Aquarium Association's annual awards ceremony last week. The prestigious Exhibit Design category recognises 'outstanding achievement in animal housing and exhibit design.'
Native Fauna Head Keeper, Tara Atkinson, is delighted to receive the award: "We are very proud of our Kea aviary as it enhances the wellbeing of our birds whilst offering an immersive encounter for visitors. It is extremely gratifying to receive an award, judged by our industry peers, that recognises high standards in animal care."
The 352 square metre aviary was designed to showcase the intelligence and uniqueness of Kea whilst highlighting the fact that the birds are endangered. Visitors traverse a board walk through the aviary and then exit via an alpine themed musterer's hut.
"There are numerous benefits of the habitat. In terms of animal management, we are seeing natural behaviours that were not evident in the past. For example the birds enjoy stretching their wings in flight, landing hard on the veranda roof then running along it just to make noise and the birds are especially interested by the constant stream of visitors in their home" adds Tara.
The aviary has also made a positive impact on the visitor experience: "In the past visitors typically spent less than a minute viewing Kea at the old aviaries. The average visit duration in the walk-through aviary is close to five minutes with some groups spending fifteen minutes in the aviary alone. This change in visit duration, along with more effective interpretation, significantly increases our potential of conveying conservation messages to visitors about these birds" says Tara.
Kea are only found in New Zealand's Southern Alps. They are classified as a 'Nationally Endangered' species but their wild population is unknown – estimates commonly range from 1,000 to possibly 5,000 birds. One of the main ways local people can assist in Kea conservation is by not feeding the birds and ensuring their equipment is secure when entering Kea territory.
"We gratefully acknowledge the estate of Jessie Winchester as well as the Un Cadeau Charitable Trust for providing the funds that enabled this exciting exhibit to be developed" concludes Tara.
This is the second time Orana Wildlife Park has won an Exhibit Design Award (Small Scale). In 2006 Orana's Siamang Gibbon Ape habitat was the recipient of the same award.
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5 January 2010
Sad loss of Spirited Kiwi Chick
Orana Wildlife Park's little Kiwi chick died on Saturday.
Orana Wildlife Park staff are devastated by the loss of their three week old Kiwi chick. The little chick was the first Kiwi to hatch at Orana in nearly a decade and was one of the smallest Kiwi hatched in captivity.
Head Keeper of Native Fauna, Tara Atkinson, says staff are mourning the loss of the Kiwi: "The poor little chick encountered numerous problems from incubation onwards and had a major operation only a few days ago. We were constantly amazed at the fighting spirit and sheer determination shown by the chick – it really had a will to live but ultimately faced just too many major challenges."
The problems encountered were numerous. For example, when the egg was taken for incubation, multiple holes were found so staff patched them with clear nail varnish. Keepers then became concerned at the lack of development of the egg and feared bacteria had seeped into it. Later, when the chick attempted to 'internal pip' (break into the air cell), it missed the air cell by a few millimeters. Keepers removed some egg shell and made a small hole in the membrane to enable the chick to breathe. The Kiwi was trying to hatch out the side of the egg, rather than through the top. Generally, if the chick misses the air cell then it will not survive.
The chick then attempted to hatch for a period of seven days before staff were advised to intervene and assist-hatch the Kiwi by removing layers of shell and membrane to free the bird. Park staff, who were hatching a Kiwi chick for the first time, were given step by step advice from Claire Travers of Kiwi Encounter (Rotorua) via speaker phone resulting in the successful hatch.
On hatching, the chick had a partial external yolk (normally fully absorbed in the egg) meaning staff then had to massage the yolk through the chick's navel before the muscles clenched. Staff only had a few minutes to perform this task otherwise the Kiwi could have died there and then.
"Since hatching, the chick had splints applied to its feet to straighten them and was force fed as it had lost too much weight. The chick then had a major operation when it was just two weeks old to remove a massive 40 gram non-absorbed yolk sac. The bird only weighed 171 grams before the operation! As a comparison, the average weight for a two week old Kiwi chick is 300 grams. To our amazement, the chick was very active the morning after the operation showing its fighting spirit" adds Tara.
Following the operation, the Kiwi's weight plummeted to just 99 grams. Staff were in regular contact with Rainbow Springs for advice. Keepers had to force feed the bird four times daily and on Saturday morning it experienced the first weight gain (to 101 grams) in weeks. Sadly, the little chick died on Saturday afternoon and staff are awaiting the results of a post mortem.
"This precious little bird taught us a great deal. In fact our entire team has learnt more about Kiwi rearing and management in the past few weeks than we ever knew. Whilst deeply saddened by its loss, we know we did everything we possibly could for the chick. I would like to thank the Park vet and staff at Kiwi Encounter for their advice and support" adds Tara.
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