Hamilton Zoo Silent Auction
🎉 Celebrate and fundraise with Hamilton Zoo for World Chimpanzee Day!🌍
To celebrate World Chimpanzee Day on 14th July, Hamilton Zoo is excited to host a silent auction and raffle to raise vital funds for the Jane Goodall Institute Australia (JGIA) Africa Program – Musee Vivant Redevelopment Project.
🎟️ Raffle Extravaganza! 🎟️
Come to Hamilton Zoo on July 14th and enter our raffle! We have TWO incredible prizes waiting for you! Tickets are just $5 each or 5 for $20. The raffle kicks off at 9:30 am, with winners announced at 3 pm on the same day.
🖼️ Silent Auction 🖼️
You can bid online on stunning artworks donated by these amazing artists: Rachael Robinson Art Drawn To Nature Art for Wildlife by Sonja WildArt by Kelly Unofficial: Jenny Stringer's art room and Carrie Laithwaite (craftymorepork on instagram). The auction runs for a week, so get your bids in quick!
View the auction here: https://www.32auctions.com/organizations/120893/auctions/165832
🌟 Thanks to our generous supporters!
- The Framing Workshop: For framing the artworks. Discover them at www.theframingworkshop.co.nz.
- Emma Lewisham: Thank you for the luxurious skincare pack!
- Rimu Gully: Grateful for the sustainable NZ-made products!
Your participation helps protect and support these incredible creatures. Learn more and donate at janegoodall.org.au/burundi
Jane Goodall Institute Australia Jane Goodall Institute NZ Chapter
Video credit: Isobelle Harris
🔈 Volume on to hear Kirana chuffing to her cubs, Mayang and Andalas.
Chuffing is a vocalisation that some cats use to communicate with each other, often showing their happiness or used as a friendly greeting 👋
The girls and mum are out on an almost daily basis now - playing, sleeping and eating outside.
If they're not in plain sight, look closely for a glimpse of orange amongst the bamboo as this is one of their favourite spots 🧡
Come say hello this weekend, make sure to tag us in your photos and videos!
Hamilton Zoo is open daily 9:30am - 4:30pm, last admission 3:30pm.
📹 Keeper Bailey
That mid-week feeling 🕺
Let us know what you would caption this video and be in to win!
Keeper Nicky captured these smooth moves from one of our tortoise boys during 'bath-time' 📹
Leave your best caption idea in the comments and be in with a chance to win day passes to Hamilton Zoo!
Terms & conditions:
Winner may pick either 2x Adult Day Passes OR 1x Family Day Pass
One entry to the draw, per caption comment.
One winner will be drawn on Wednesday 10 April.
The winner will be contacted via private message on the social media platform on which they entered.
A new winner will be drawn if the winner cannot be reached within 72hrs.
Only the person who originally entered the competition can be awarded the prize.
Prize cannot be exchanged, transferred or redeemed for cash.
Everybody's favourite Tiger twins are up to mischief! 🧡🐾
These cheeky cubs love playfighting at the moment - whether it's each other or mum, it doesn't matter, they even go after their own tails!
Kirana certainly has got her paws full with these two 🐅
Visit this weekend and see them for yourself!
Hamilton Zoo is open daily 9:30am - 4:30pm, last admission 3:30pm.
📹 Keeper Emma
🦏🎉 It's Zahra's fourth birthday today! 🎉🦏
We thought we'd celebrate by sharing some of our favourite clips of her as a baby.
Her keepers describe her as sassy and independent with a bright and bubbly personality, she does what she wants to!
She is an all-around happy rhino who is very playful, sweet, and has a definite cheeky side.
Though she's still the 'baby' of the group - weighing just 50kg at birth, Zahra has grown over 30x in size over the last four years, now weighing in at just under 1,600kg!
📹 Step behind the scenes at Hamilton Zoo for an exclusive look at our chimpanzee health checks in action. In this video watch our dedicated team conducting a thorough health check on the lovable mother-daughter duo, Sanda and Kendi.
With heart disease being a leading cause of death in chimps, regular check-ups are crucial to allow us to proactively monitor and manage the well-being of our beloved chimp residents.
At Hamilton Zoo, animal welfare is our top priority, and we take pride in being caregivers and kaitiaki (guardians) of these incredible animals.
We want to thank veterinary cardiologist Dr. Jacqui Huxley from Apex Cardiology and veterinary dentist Dr. Crystal Loh from New Zealand Veterinary Dentistry, who volunteered their time for Sanda’s care. We are very grateful for their time and expertise!
Learn more about the Great Ape Heart Project here: https://greatapeheartproject.org
Tiger Cubs go for a walk
Look at who's out and about! 🐾🧡
The cubs are now just over seven weeks old and their natural curiosity is clear, the two girls have been exploring more and more of the enclosure everyday, under the watchful eye of mum, Kirana.
With playful and very determined attitudes, their mobility and balance is slowly but surely improving. Both cubs can now move short distances independently, but never wander too far away from mum 🌿
Kirana and her cubs can choose to stay inside or venture outside as they please, with access to both the enclosure and off-display areas. Although it's not guaranteed, you might be lucky enough to spot this little family outside during your next visit.
Fishing Cat Bandula received a special delivery for his 10th birthday! 🛍️
Full of yummy fish, this “Uber Meats” delivery was left on a pole in his enclosure for him to find (not quite doorstep collection!) 🐟
Bandula had to use his keen sense of smell to locate the bag before pulling it down to get his treats.
This isn't an ad, but maybe it should be... Uber Eats
We're excited to start sharing regular video updates of the two newest Tigers in town 🧡
A monitor has also been fitted in the tiger viewer, showing video footage of the two 'stripey slugs', as the team calls them 🐅
Kirana has access to both the smaller enclosure and den, so you may still see her outside at feeding time. However, it's up to her when she will bring her cubs out and on display, which may not be for quite some time.
As Kirana is a first-time mum, she's been given lots of space and time to bond with the cubs before the team carry out the initial health check at two weeks. Which is when we will find out the weights and sex of both cubs.
Sali and Scout are taking turns on display in the larger enclosure 🐾
Walking into the weekend 🐾🧡
Beat the boredom this summer by visiting Te Kaaroro Nature Precinct.
Spend quality time with your friends and family, making memories that will last a lifetime.
🐾 Unleash your wild side at Hamilton Zoo.
🍽️ Check out the new summer menu at Everyday Eatery
🌿 Take a stroll and explore Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park
🎥 Keeper Hudson
Guess who just turned three? 🎉🎁
The primate team celebrated Kendi's third birthday on Monday by decorating the gallery in the Chimp House!
Very much still the baby of the family, we know you love her cheeky personality and boundless energy 💕
Make sure to stop and say hello to the troop on your next visit to Hamilton Zoo!
Good things come in pairs! 🎉
We’re celebrating the recent birth of two Porcupettes, and we’ve got some gorgeous footage of the two new arrivals to share with you.
The Porcupettes were born last Wednesday (25 Oct) and follow on from the birth of older sister Adana in April this year. With a gestation period of approximately three months, we’ll let you do the math on that one! 😉
To have successfully had three offspring in the span of a year is fantastic news, Ingozi’s genetics are very valuable to the Cape Porcupine population within Australasia. The whole family are doing very well, with Ayanfe once again taking on the role of doting father. Even Adana has been seen helping Mum and Dad to groom and look after her new siblings.
To answer the question we know you’re all thinking... Yes, they’re born with the quills!! 😅 Though they’re nice and soft to begin with and harden up over time. Cape Porcupines have approximately 30,000 hollow quills on their body when fully grown. The quills are made of keratin, just like our fingernails and hair are.
The family have a purpose-built house within the habitat they share with the Meerkats. Whilst the twins are still young, the Meerkats and Porcupines have access to the enclosure on a rotation throughout the day. You may want to double back or check with a staff member on your next visit if you miss seeing one or the other.
As they’re nocturnal animals, they’re often sleeping during the day. Please remember to not knock on the glass and to keep quiet when looking through the window - there are babies sleeping!! 💤
Welcome Scout!
We're very excited to officially welcome Scout, a seven year old Sumatran Tiger, to Hamilton Zoo!
Scout was born at Australia Zoo in 2016 and then transferred to Orana Wildlife Park in 2020 with brother Reggie. Over the last few weeks he has been settling into his new home here at Hamilton Zoo. Come say hello this weekend 👋🐅
As part of the Sumatran Tiger Species Survival Plan, Scout will play a vital role in the breeding programme and conservation of his species.
This is just the beginning of this journey - we hope you're all as excited as we are to welcome Scout. Our Carnivore Team have created this video of Scout exploring his new home 🎥
World Chimpanzee Day 2023
World Chimpanzee Day is tomorrow!
Primate Keeper Izzi put together this great video introducing our Chimps and showing behind the scenes footage of some of their daily training.
There'll be special Chimp Day Keeper Talks at 10:30am and 2:00pm so you can learn more about Hamilton Zoo's troop and see them interact with some enrichment items.
There will also be a selection of limited edition paintings and prints of/by the Chimps available for purchase at the Zoo Shop, with funds going to the Jane Goodall Institute to help the redevelopment and everyday costs of Musée Vivant. This facility works to improve the everyday welfare of the five rescued Chimpanzees in their care. Keep an eye out for tomorrow's post to learn more.
You can offer your support here: https://gofund.me/5fbd7873
July 2 is World Porcupine Day! Celebrate by visiting Ingozi this weekend.
Our prickle (group) of porcupines at Hamilton Zoo consists of Ingozi, Ayanfe and their 3-month-old daughter, Adana.
They can be found sharing a home with our meerkat mob. If you take a peak into the den, you may be able to spy a bundle of quills having a nap!
If you visit today, keep an ear out for call-outs of porcupine/meerkat feeds, and you may be lucky enough to see our Cape Porcupine whaanau for yourself.
#WorldPorcupineDay
Earlier this week, we took you behind the scenes with sneak peek snaps of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™️ official mascot Tazuni visiting our visitor destinations. Today we can share with you what the fun, football-loving penguin got up to.
Tazuni, whose name is a combination of Tasman (as in the sea) and unity, spent the day at Waikato Museum checking out Exscite with Visitor Experience Representative Levi, before heading to Hamilton Gardens to conduct her own highlights tour, and then finished off by meeting Hamilton Zoos’ Team Leader of Birds and Ectotherms, Jano, at Te Kaaroro Nature Precinct along with some of their exotic and native animal friends. Tazuni had a blast and so did our staff!
Thanks, Tazuni for visiting, we can’t wait to play host to all the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™️ fans in the coming weeks!
For more information about the games, host city events and to buy tickets, head to Hamiltonhostcity.co.nz
#FIFAWWC #BeyondGreatness
How much does a meerkat weigh? 🐾🤔
As part of our meerkats' wellbeing, they have regular weight checks - which can be a bit challenging when you share your home with Ingozi, a very nosey porcupine!
Pemba and Faiion weigh in at a healthy 1.2kgs and 1.1kgs respectively.
Taking regular weights help our team stay on top of our animals' health. Sudden weight gains or drops can be a great early indicator for health problems, as well as helping the team make informed decisions about their diet and nutrition intake.
PSA: ❌Hamilton Zoo to reopen tomorrow (Thursday 16 Feb).
Our team has been putting in the hard yards over the last two days and now we’re able to announce that from tomorrow we’re open to visitors!
It’s been a wild time, and there is still a couple of paths that will remain closed for repairs. So, to celebrate that ‘YAY WE’RE OPEN’ and reflect that there will be a bit of back tracking during your visit, we are bringing back the ‘WILD DAY DEAL’ and tomorrow’s Zoo admission is HALF PRICE ALL DAY. 🎉
TERMS & CONDITIONS:
Discount is valid for Thursday 16 February, 2023. Applies to admission purchased on the day only (not pre-paid/online tickets). Cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount, including the discounted education visit rate. Does not apply to Hamilton Zoo Annual Pass purchases or renewals.
Today is a special day! 🎉 🥳 Jamuna, our red panda turns eight!
Red pandas are most active at dawn and dusk. 🌤️ Our girl can generally be found dozing up in the tree branches, so it's quite a treat to see her when she's in the mood for midday zoomies!
If you're looking for Jamuna during your next visit, she's moved into a temporary habitat in the rainforest area whilst renovations are underway in her usual home. 🌿❤️
