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Hamilton Zoo () is the main
zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...
logical garden of
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
, New Zealand. Covering , it is situated on Brymer Road in the Hamilton suburb of
Rotokauri Rotokauri is a semi-rural locality in Waikato District in New Zealand. The outskirts of Rotokauri have an impressive orchid farm, all under glass, exporting blooms across the world, and providing ample local employment. The New Zealand Mini ...
, 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 The Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) Australasia was established in 1991. Its vision is to create "Positive Outcomes for Wildlife and People." The organisation operates throughout the Australasia region (Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Gui ...
.


History

The park was founded in 1969 as a
game farm A game farm is a place where game animals are raised to stock wildlife areas for hunting. The term also includes places where such animals are raised to be sold as food or for photography. Their existence has been exemplified within the South Afr ...
, the Hilldale Game Farm. It was originally owned by Murray and Gloria Powell. They mainly raised
game bird Game or quarry is any wild animal hunted for animal products (primarily meat), for recreation (" sporting"), or for trophies. The species of animals hunted as game varies in different parts of the world and by different local jurisdictions, thou ...
s but there was also a small collection of exotic
mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...
s and birds. The zoo become unprofitable and was facing closure in 1976 before the Hamilton City Council stepped in and bought the site, buildings, and stock. In 1984, the zoo again faced closure but due to public pressure the Council resolved to keep it open. Day-to-day running of the zoo was transferred to the Department of Recreation and Welfare. A concept plan was drawn up to give the zoo a clear direction, this resulted in the Zoo Education Centre opening in 1987. The plan also called for upgraded and new exhibits, plantings, boardwalks, and paths. The position of zoo director was created in 1989. Hamilton Zoo received its first
red panda The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzz ...
, Mungojerre, in November 1999. He was joined by his father, Mario, in February 2000 and another male Laotzy in December 2001. Mario died in April 2002. In July 2006, Laotzy was sent to the National Zoo in Canberra and Mungojerre to Brooklands Zoo. The following month, brothers Chito and Badal arrived from
Auckland Zoo Auckland Zoo () is a zoo, zoological garden in Auckland, New Zealand, situated next to Western Springs Park not far from Auckland's Auckland CBD, central business district. It is run by Auckland Council with the Zoological Society of Auckland as ...
. Badal escaped soon after arriving and died four days later after being hit by a car. A female red panda, Tayla, arrived in October 2010 from the National Zoo. She was the daughter of Laotzy. In December 2011, Tayla gave birth to a son. He was named Ketu, meaning 'comet' in Tibetan. Tayla gave birth to male triplets in 2012. They received names from the Nepalese language: Nima (sun), Karma (star) and Dawa (moon). Ketu was sent to
Kansas Zoo The Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium is a zoo founded in 1909 and is located in Swope Park at 6800 Zoo Drive, Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. The zoo has a Friends of the Zoo program to help promote the work of the zoo which sees over on ...
in August 2013. Tayla's third litter, twin females, were born in January 2014. This brings the number of red pandas at Hamilton Zoo to seven. In October 1999, Hamilton Zoo received three
southern white rhinoceros The southern white rhinoceros or southern white rhino (''Ceratotherium simum simum'') is one of the two subspecies of the white rhinoceros (the other being the much rarer northern white rhinoceros). It is the most common and widespread subspecies ...
from
Kruger National Park Kruger National Park () is a national park in South Africa covering an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the country's northeast. It extends from north to south and from east to west. The administrative headquarters are i ...
, South Africa. Eight-year-old bull, Zambezi, and five-year-old cows, Moesha and Caballe, were part of an Australsian import of white rhinoceros, which were sent to the Auckland, Hamilton, Werribee Open Range and Perth Zoos. They were later joined by a four-year-old female, Kito, from Auckland Zoo in 2004. In January 2002, Caballe gave birth to a son, Inkosi. She had another son, Mtoto, in February 2004, and a daughter, Imani, in March 2007. In May 2007, Zambezi, Inkosi and Mtoto were sent to Auckland Zoo in exchange for their bull, Kruger. Moesha gave birth to a son, Kifaru, in April 2009 and a daughter, Jamila, in March 2012. In August 2010, Caballe, pregnant with her fourth calf, was sent to
Australia Zoo Australia Zoo is a zoo in the Australian state of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast near Beerwah/ Glass House Mountains. It is a member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA), and is owned by Terri Irwin, the widow of Steve Irwin, whose ...
. Kito gave birth to a son, Ubuntu, in March 2010 and a stillborn daughter in April 2013. In March 2014, young bulls, Kifaru and Ubuntu, were sent to the National Zoo in Canberra. The Hamilton Zoo herd currently consists of bull, Kruger, and cows, Moesha, Kito, Imani and Jamila. In November 1999, a one-year bull giraffe, Ndoki, arrived from
Wellington Zoo Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo () is a zoo in the green belt of Wellington, New Zealand. History Wellington Zoo was opened in 1906 by the late Prime Minister Richard Seddon after he was given a young lion – later named King Dick – by the Bo ...
. He was joined by purebred Rothchild's bulls, Makulu, from Orana Wildlife Park in 2000 and Chitumbii, from
Perth Zoo Perth Zoo is a zoological park in South Perth, Western Australia, South Perth, Western Australia. The zoo first opened in 1898 and by 2011 housed 1258 animals of 164 species and an extensive botanical collection. It is a full institutional me ...
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. 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. 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. In January 2000, construction started on a
sumatran tiger The Sumatran tiger is a population of ''Panthera tigris sondaica'' on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is the only surviving tiger population in the Sunda Islands, where the Bali tiger, Bali and Javan tigers are extinct. DNA sequencing, Sequ ...
exhibit. It was completed in January 2001 and cost $430,000. It features a large pool, climbing structures and bamboo glades. In March 2001, 14-month-old Sumatran tiger siblings, male Jaka, and females Mencari and Molek, arrived from Wellington Zoo. Although not originally intended to breed, the death of their sister, Nisha in May 2006 caused the species coordinator to recommend one of the Hamilton Zoo females to take her place. As the more confident female, Molek was chosen and she was sent to Auckland Zoo that September. In July 2012, Hamilton Zoo received a four-year-old tigress, Sali, from Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. She is the zoo's potential breeding female after Mencari was spayed in 2010. In November 2013, Hamilton Zoo sent their male, Jaka, to Auckland Zoo in exchange for their male, Oz. Jaka is Sali's great uncle (the brother of Sali's grandmother) and considered too closely related for breeding. Introductions between Oz and Sali are progressing well with the zoo hoping for cubs in the near future. In November 2001, Hamilton Zoo received two
cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...
from Cango Wildlife Ranch, South Africa. Two year old female, Temba, and her half brother, one year old, Mwandi. In 2003, Mwandi was sent to Orana Wildlife Park to breed, in exchange for one of their males to breed with Temba. Unfortunately this was unsuccessful with Temba showing little interest in the new male, Kaitoa. In August 2007, Temba and Kaitoa were sent to Orana Wildlife Park, who have had repeated success in breeding cheetah, due to their wide pool of potential mates for the female cheetah to choose from. In September 2007, brothers, Moyo Matusi and Jambo, arrived from
Western Plains Zoo Taronga Western Plains Zoo, formerly known as (and still commonly referred to as) Western Plains Zoo and commonly known as Dubbo Zoo, is a large zoo in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia. It opened to the public on 28 February 1977, to provide mo ...
, where they had been born in 2004. They are not intended for breeding in the immediate future. In March 2003, Hamilton Zoo's
otters Otters are carnivorous mammals in the Rank (zoology), subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic animal, aquatic, or Marine ecology, marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae Family (biology), family, whi ...
, Moba and Jasmine, produced five pups which unfortunately died of a mystery illness. They produced four more pups in April 2004, but first Moba and Jasmine, then the four pups died of the same illness between September 2004 and June 2005. After deciding to discontinue exhibiting otter, they were first replaced by agouiti, then meerkat since 2010. In June 2004, Hamilton Zoo completed construction on a 3,000 square metre exhibit for
chimpanzees The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close relative the ...
. The exhibit features two large fields, divided by an overhead swing bridge, a forest area, a water feature and a large multi-storey night house, with public viewing windows. In July, six chimpanzee, Susie, Sally, Mike, Lucy, Lucifer and Luka, arrived from Auckland Zoo. In December 2008, mother and daughter, Fimi and Sanda, arrived from
Adelaide Zoo Adelaide Zoo is a zoo in Adelaide, Australia. It is the country's second oldest zoo (after Melbourne Zoo) opening in 1883, and is operated on a non-profit basis. It is located in the Adelaide Parklands, parklands just north of the Adelaide cit ...
. The intention was for them to breed with teenage brothers, Lucifer and Luka, or their father, Mike. Susie died of cancer in November 2010, and in March 2011, Mike died after an operation to amputate his arm. The top of Mike's finger had been bitten off, following an altercation with Luca, and while antibiotics were prescribed, the infection quickly spread to his arm. Fimi was put down in April 2012, following advanced heart failure, causing major changes to the chimpanzee community. Ongoing conflicts between Fimi and Luka, the dominant male, had led to the keepers having to separate the chimpanzee into two groups, with Luka and Lucifer in one group, and Fimi, Sally, Lucy and Sanda in the other. Fimi's death allowed the reintroduction of the two groups, with Sally taking on a role of surrogate mother to Fimi's daughter, Sanda. The zoo is hoping Sanda will breed with Luka or Lucifer in the near future. In July 2009, Hamilton Zoo received two
siamang The siamang (, ; ''Symphalangus syndactylus'') is an endangered arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The largest of the gibbons, the siamang can be twice the size of other gibbons, reaching i ...
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. In 2014, Hamilton Zoo's one of two female Sumatran tigers, Sali, gave birth to two tiger cubs. On 20 September 2015, Hamilton Zoo's Curator Samantha Kudeweh was killed by a male Sumatran tiger, named Oz. Two new
Sumatran tiger The Sumatran tiger is a population of ''Panthera tigris sondaica'' on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is the only surviving tiger population in the Sunda Islands, where the Bali tiger, Bali and Javan tigers are extinct. DNA sequencing, Sequ ...
cubs were born at the zoo on 3 January 2024.


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
sun conure The sun conure (''Aratinga solstitialis''), also known as the sun parakeet, is a medium-sized, vibrantly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. The adult male and female are similar in appearance, with black beaks, predominantly gol ...
s,
blue-and-yellow macaw The blue-and-yellow macaw (''Ara ararauna''), also known as the blue-and-gold macaw, is a large Neotropical parrot with a mostly blue dorsum, light yellow/orange venter, and gradient hues of green on top of its head. It is a member of the large g ...
s, scarlet macaws and princess parakeets. *Free Flight Sanctuary – this is one of the largest free-flight
aviaries An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages in ...
in the Southern Hemisphere, housing a variety of native New Zealand birds including
kākā The New Zealand kākā (''Nestor meridionalis'') is a large species of parrot of the family New Zealand parrot, Strigopidae found in New Zealand, New Zealand's native forests across the three main Islands of New Zealand. The species is often kn ...
s. *Reptile Rows – this includes
tuatara The tuatara (''Sphenodon punctatus'') is a species of reptile endemic to New Zealand. Despite its close resemblance to lizards, it is actually the only extant member of a distinct lineage, the previously highly diverse order Rhynchocephal ...
s, native geckos, native skinks, lace monitors, eastern snake necked turtle and
leopard tortoise The leopard tortoise (''Stigmochelys pardalis'') is a large and attractively marked tortoise found in the savannas of eastern and southern Africa, from Sudan to the southern Cape Province. It is the only extant member of the genus ''Stigmochelys' ...
. There's also an exhibit for native frogs too. *Chimpanzee Exhibit – this exhibit features the zoo's
chimpanzee The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of Hominidae, great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close rel ...
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 dog The African wild dog (''Lycaon pictus''), also called painted dog and Cape hunting dog, is a wild canine native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest wild canine in Africa, and the only extant member of the genus '' Lycaon'', which is disti ...
s, two females and two males. *Tiger Exhibit – the zoo currently has three
Sumatran tiger The Sumatran tiger is a population of ''Panthera tigris sondaica'' on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is the only surviving tiger population in the Sunda Islands, where the Bali tiger, Bali and Javan tigers are extinct. DNA sequencing, Sequ ...
s, three females. *Waikato Wetlands – this area of the zoo has recreated to represent a local
wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
area for the
Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...
region. Kept here are
kea The kea ( ; ; ''Nestor notabilis'') is a species of large parrot in the Family (biology), family Strigopidae that is endemic to the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About long, it is mostly olive-green, with br ...
s and New Zealand falcons. There are also
black swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large Anatidae, waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent ...
s and other water birds on the lake, surrounded by a
boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway typically built with wooden planks, which functions as a type of low water bridge or small viaduct that enables pedestrians to ...
. *African Animals – one side of the zoo contains mainly animals from Africa including popular species such as
southern white rhino The southern white rhinoceros or southern white rhino (''Ceratotherium simum simum'') is one of the two subspecies of the white rhinoceros (the other being the much rarer northern white rhinoceros). It is the most common and widespread subspecies ...
s,
plains zebra The plains zebra (''Equus quagga'', formerly ''Equus burchellii'') is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra. Its range is fragmented, but spans much of southern and eastern Africa south of the Sahara. Six or seven subspec ...
s (including individuals from the
Grant's Grant's is a blended whisky, blended Scotch whisky, produced by the company William Grant & Sons in Scotland. It is the world's third highest selling Scotch whisky. History In 1886, William Grant (businessman), William Grant started working ...
clade),
ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...
es,
cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...
,
helmeted guineafowl The helmeted guinea fowl (''Numida meleagris'') is the best known of the guinea fowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus ''Numida''. It is native to Africa, mainly south of the Sahara, and has been widely introduced, as ...
, and
giraffe The giraffe is a large Fauna of Africa, African even-toed ungulate, hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the Largest mammals#Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on ...
s. The zoo's herd of
American bison The American bison (''Bison bison''; : ''bison''), commonly known as the American buffalo, or simply buffalo (not to be confused with Bubalina, true buffalo), is a species of bison that is endemic species, endemic (or native) to North America. ...
,
European fallow deer The European fallow deer (''Dama dama''), also known as the common fallow deer or simply fallow deer, is a species of deer native to Eurasia. It is one of two living species of fallow deer alongside the Persian fallow deer (''Dama mesopotamica'' ...
and
blackbuck The blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''), also known as the Indian antelope, is a medium-sized antelope native to India and Nepal. It inhabits grassy plains and lightly forested areas with perennial water sources. It stands up to high at the sh ...
are also located in this area. *Other species at the zoo include
siamang The siamang (, ; ''Symphalangus syndactylus'') is an endangered arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The largest of the gibbons, the siamang can be twice the size of other gibbons, reaching i ...
s,
black-handed spider monkey Geoffroy's spider monkey (''Ateles geoffroyi''), also known as the black-handed spider monkey or the Central American spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, parts of Mexico and possibly a ...
s,
brown capuchin The tufted capuchin (''Sapajus apella''), also known as brown capuchin, black-capped capuchin, or pin monkey, is a New World monkey, New World primate from South America and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita Island, Margarita. As t ...
s,
ring-tailed lemur The ring-tailed lemur (''Lemur catta'') is a medium- to larger-sized strepsirrhine (wet-nosed) primate and the most internationally recognized lemur species, owing to its long, black-and-white, ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of fiv ...
s,
black-and-white ruffed lemur The black-and-white ruffed lemur (''Varecia variegata'') is an endangered species of ruffed lemur, ruffed lemur, one of two which are endemic to the island of Madagascar. Despite having a larger range than the red ruffed lemur, it has a much sma ...
s,
caracal The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized Felidae, wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long ...
,
fishing cat The fishing cat (''Prionailurus viverrinus'') is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. It has a deep yellowish-grey fur with black lines and spots. Adults have a head-to-body length of , with a long tail. Males are larger than f ...
s,
red panda The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzz ...
s,
meerkat The meerkat (''Suricata suricatta'') or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. It is characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail, and a brindled coat pattern. The head-and-body ...
s,
cape porcupine The Cape porcupine (''Hystrix africaeaustralis''), Cape crested porcupine or South African porcupine, is a species of Old World porcupine native to central and southern Africa. Description left, 180px, Porcupine head Cape porcupines are the la ...
s,
ferret The ferret (''Mustela furo'') is a small, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), as evidenced by the ferret's ability to inter ...
s,
kunekune pig The Kunekune () is a small breed of domestic pig from New Zealand. Kunekune are hairy with a rotund build, and may bear wattles hanging from their lower jaws. Their colour ranges from black and white, to ginger, cream, gold-tip, black, brown, ...
s,
morepork The morepork (''Ninox novaeseelandiae''), better known as the morepork owl, and also known by numerous other onomatopoeic names (such as boobook, mopoke or ruru), is a smallish, brown owl species found in New Zealand, and to the northwest, on No ...
s and
blue duck The blue duck (''Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos'') or whio is a member of the duck, goose and swan family (biology), family Anatidae endemic to New Zealand. It is the only member of the genus ''Hymenolaimus''. Its exact taxonomic status is still ...
s.


Future developments

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


References


External links

* * {{authority control Organizations established in 1969
Zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...
Zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...
Zoos in New Zealand Zoos established in 1969 1969 establishments in New Zealand