Hamilton Zoo

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Hamilton Zoo
Zoo logo
37°46′28″S 175°12′53″E / 37.7745°S 175.2148°E / -37.7745; 175.2148
Date opened	1969
Location	Hamilton, New Zealand
Land area	25 ha (62 acres)
No. of animals	400+
No. of species	93+
Memberships	ZAA[1]
Major exhibits	Chimpanzee, Sumatran tiger, white rhino, painted hunting dog, small cats, small primates, Free Flight Sanctuary
Website	hamiltonzoo.co.nz

Hamilton Zoo (Māori: Rawhi Whakaaturanga o Kirikiriroa) is the main zoological garden of Hamilton, New Zealand. Covering 25 hectares (62 acres), it is situated on Brymer Road in the Hamilton suburb of Rotokauri, on the outskirts of the metropolitan area towards the northwest. It is owned by the Hamilton City Council with the Department of Recreation and Welfare handling the day-to-day running of the site.

Hamilton Zoo is the first zoo in New Zealand to become fully accredited by the Zoo and Aquarium Association.^[2]

History

The park was founded in 1969 as a

A concept plan was drawn up to give the zoo a clear direction, this resulted in the Zoo Education Centre opening in 1987.^[citation needed] The plan also called for upgraded and new exhibits, plantings, boardwalks, and paths.

The position of zoo director was created in 1989.^{[citation needed]}

Hamilton Zoo received its first

In October 1999, Hamilton Zoo received three

In November 1999, a one-year bull giraffe, Ndoki, arrived from Wellington Zoo. He was joined by purebred Rothchild's bulls, Makulu, from Orana Wildlife Park in 2000 and Chitumbii, from Perth Zoo in 2001. Shortly after his arrival, Chitumbi was chased into a fence by a zebra stallion. He initially appeared fine, but his condition later deteriorated and he died in January 2002.^[14] Initially, Hamilton Zoo intended to import a female for breeding, but the species coordinator recommended they operate as a holder for surplus bulls, creating a bachelor herd. In April 2004, 15-month-old bulls, Masmamba and Jabari arrived from Auckland Zoo.^[15] They were later joined by young bulls, Ndale, in 2005, and Dume, in 2007. All four young bulls were born at Auckland Zoo between 2002 and 2006 and were fathered by Makulu's older brother, Zabulu.^[16]

In January 2000, construction started on a

In July 2009, Hamilton Zoo received two siamang gibbons from Auckland Zoo, 30-year-old female, Iuri, and 25-year-old male, Itam. The pair had been retired from breeding, having produced several offspring during their time at Auckland Zoo, and were sent to Hamilton to live out their retirement years.^[32]

In 2014, Hamilton Zoo's one of two female Sumatran tigers, Sali, gave birth to two tiger cubs.^[33]

On 20 September 2015, Hamilton Zoo's Curator Samantha Kudeweh was killed by a male Sumatran tiger, named Oz.^[34][35]

Two new Sumatran tiger cubs were born at the zoo on 3 January 2024.^[36]

Exhibits

The zoo features a number of exhibits, some unique to the zoo. The zoo has over 200 bird species.

• Parrot Court – contains Australasian, South American and Indonesian parrots, including
  scarlet macaws and princess parakeets
  .
• Free Flight Sanctuary – this is one of the largest free-flight
  aviaries in the Southern Hemisphere, housing a variety of native New Zealand birds including kākās
  .
• Reptile Rows – this includes tuataras, native geckos, native skinks, lace monitors, eastern snake necked turtle and leopard tortoise. There's also an exhibit for native frogs too.
• Chimpanzee Exhibit – this exhibit features the zoo's
  chimpanzee
  troop of six, Sally, Lucy, Lucifer, Luka, Sanda and Chiku. The exhibit is 1.2 hectares.
• African Painted Dogs – the zoo currently has four
  African painted dogs
  , two females and two males.
• Tiger Exhibit – the zoo currently has three Sumatran tigers, three females.
• Waikato Wetlands – this area of the zoo has recreated to represent a local
  wetlands area for the Waikato region. Kept here are keas and New Zealand falcons. There are also black swans and other water birds on the lake, surrounded by a boardwalk
  .
• African Animals – one side of the zoo contains mainly animals from Africa including popular species such as southern white rhinos, plains zebras (including individuals from the Grant's clade), ostriches, cheetah, helmeted guineafowl, and giraffes. The zoo's herd of American bison, European fallow deer and blackbuck are also located in this area.
• Other species at the zoo include
  kunekune pigs, moreporks and blue ducks
  .

No major future developments are currently scheduled for the zoo. However, there are some minor works planned, including an upgrade to the giraffe accommodation.^[citation needed]

References