Worried that captive bred numbats, released into the wild, are disapearing,
Perth Zoo has instigated a training school for them. The numbats, living a life
of ease in captivity, appear to have lost their natural wariness when it comes to predators.
To help prevent this, predator-awareness training classes have been started. Being a
species active through the day, numbats are particularly vulnerable to birds of prey. To
help counter this the animals are exposed to silhouettes of wedge-tailed eagles and the
alarm calls of birds. The training has already paid of with a higher survival rate
of the animals released in December 2000.
The seventh of September 1936 was the day the last living Tasmanian Tiger, or
Thylacine, died in a small zoo in Hobart, Tasmania. To highlight the plight of all
endangered species, this day, the day the thylacine became, officially, extinct, is
now known as Endangered Species Day.
A Penguin Cam has been opened on the Taronga Zoos website, showcasing a bundle of small
fluff which is the Fairy Penguins latest resident. The chick is newly hatched and people
will be able to watch as both parents take it in turn to care for it.
Some Items From Auckland Zoo, New Zealand
In May 2001, four female lion cubs were born and a
competition was held to give them names. The winners have been announced and the cubs
new names are
Amali, African for hope
Amira, meaning Princess
Kataza, translating to Cross One,
and
Kuchani, or Far Away.
Also to do with lions, the four sisters were joined by three more cubs. These new cubs
were born on 20 August 2001 and are not yet on display.
Auckland Zoo has successfully incubated and hatched a North Island Brown Kiwi. This
is the first time that an egg, taken from its parents, has been hatched. The zoo needed
to take the egg away as the parent birds always broke their eggs. The chick has been named
Tohu Nui, meaning 'milestone'.
Two female Golden Lion Tamarins arrived in June, the beginning
of a breeding program for the endangered species at the zoo.
On September 22nd, the zoo will be opening its latest display, the Bluebird Sealion and
Penguin Shores. From the zoos description it sounds wonderful with visiters arriving over
a dune to reach a beach. As well as sealions there will be a walk through aviary
where typical shore birds can be seen, including dotterals and little blue penguins. For
more information about this new exhibit visit the zoos
website.
Jai, a white tiger from Dreamworld, on the Gold Coast, Qld, has died after receiving a
kidney transplant from another Bengal tiger, Rakhan. She is he second of the
white tigers to have died, Kyla died from an internal haemorrhage in 1996.
The kidney transplant had been the only option available to try and save Jais'
life, she would have died without it.
Western Plains Zoo, in N.S.W. will soon be opening a new exhibit called - 'The Indian
Rhinoceros Tropical Lowland Forest'. The first of four Indian Rhinos will be imported
in early 2002. He will be joined later by another male and two females. When they arrive,
Western Plains will be the only place in Australasia where you will be able to see three
species of Rhino.
Wellington Zoo, in New Zealand, anounced the birth of a female giraffe,
Giraffa camelopardalis, on September the. The first time parents are Riki
and Tiza. The zoo are looking for a name for her and apparently she will be
moved to Hamilton Zoo before she is a year old.
