Latest news with #Zoo
The Spinoff
2 days ago
- General
- The Spinoff
Why Homo sapiens are Auckland Zoo's priority species
Auckland Zoo is involved in dozens of conservation projects, but one species is paramount – us. Naomii Seah visits the Zoo to find out why. On a mild winter's night, by the light of the full moon, a group of Auckland Zoo staff and mana whenua pick their way carefully through the thick native bush. Beneath their boots, the damp undergrowth gives off a rich, earthy aroma of rotting bark and leaf litter. Spying a marker tied to an ancient pōhutakawa, a member of the group pauses, and gingerly holds a clear container to the craggy bark. From it a brown, unassuming insect peeks out then scurries onto the trunk. It's about an inch long. While it's hard to imagine, this young wētāpunga will one day be as big as a mouse. These expeditions have been running for over a decade across eight pest-free islands in the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Islands as part of Auckland Zoo's wētāpunga breed-and-release programme. It's just one of the Zoo's many conservation initiatives. As the Zoo sees it though, the most important creatures on this trip aren't just the hundreds of tiny wētāpunga about to be released – it's the people. Kevin Buley is the director of Auckland Zoo. 'The fundamental purpose of the Zoo is to reconnect people with the environment, with wildlife and with themselves – what it means to be human, and part of the environment, not apart from it,' he says. Since 2018, Kevin has led the Zoo through huge changes, both physically and philosophically, driven in part by the impacts of the pandemic. 'Covid was like the moment the scales dropped from our eyes, and we saw how the Zoo could fundamentally improve the wellbeing of people that visited us.' Dozens, if not hundreds of papers have now shown a connection between time spent in nature and improved wellbeing. But with increasing urbanisation – over 80% of New Zealanders now live in urban areas – the disconnect between communities and te taiao (the natural world) is only growing. As an organisation, the Zoo sees itself as a vital conduit between Auckland communities and the environment. This realisation, Kevin says, necessitated a significant change to the kaupapa of the Zoo. Namely, the Zoo wanted to reposition itself as distinctively of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and strengthen its relationship with Te Ao Māori. The Zoo has been working alongside iwi Māori to weave indigenous concepts through the zoo experience and into its wider programming. Incorporating Te Ao Māori is one way the Zoo hopes to continue building a more holistic approach to wildlife conservation. This holistic approach speaks to what Kevin sees as the ultimate purpose of a zoo – to help build a future where the classic 'just-in-time' sticking-plaster approach to conservation work is no longer required. What would that future look like though? As Kevin sees it, it's a future where we have successfully renegotiated our relationship with the natural environment and are living sustainably as part of it. It's a future where we no longer have to fight an endless battle against biodiversity loss and species extinction. Think, he says, of communities, corporates and governments all putting the health of te taiao first in their decision-making. 'If our ultimate goal is to help people tune back into nature, to have humans as a species living at one with the planet, then first we've got to support people's wellbeing. We can't ask people to recycle, to use sustainable palm oil, to eat sustainable fish if their day-to-day wellbeing is not in a great place,' says Kevin. The evolving role of zoos is something Dr. Sarah Thomas, head of conservation advocacy and engagement at Auckland Zoo, spends a lot of time thinking about. 'How do we change how we think about being a zoo to being a community-serving cultural organisation? Raising up and giving equal credit to the way we serve our communities is just as important as our conservation fieldwork.' Post-Covid, Sarah noticed how alienated communities felt from each other and the environment. In many ways, she says, we are still dealing with the impacts of Covid's social isolation and economic fallout. In this atmosphere, Sarah and the Zoo recognised the need to walk alongside the community. The team started a programme which gifted thousands of tickets to community groups. This removed the financial barrier and opened the Zoo up to them as a place for repair, recovery and respite. 'The passion that I have is [trying to understand] how we can serve our communities to feel good and function well, so we have a society that's thriving here in Aotearoa,' Sarah says. 'We know that there's a lot of lonely people in Auckland. All the stats are there to say people are struggling, whether that's post-Covid or just in the current environmental, societal state. So, for me, having the Zoo as te pā hono – a place of connection, is like a beacon of hope.' By looking after wellbeing, and addressing community needs, the team hopes to enable a greater, long-term change in how we take care of ourselves and our environment. Part of that means being an accessible gateway to wildlife and te taiao. Many people may never visit the African savannah, the Southeast Asian rainforest or even Auckland's predator-free offshore islands. But that shouldn't preclude communities from feeling connections to those places. In Te Ao Māori, the wētāpunga is known as the god of ugly things. It's a reputation that's contributed to the wētāpunga being maligned and overlooked. Just over a decade ago, the last remaining population was isolated to Te Hauturu-o-Toi (Little Barrier Island). Now though, through Auckland Zoo's programme, which was built on previous work by DOC and Butterfly Creek, wētāpunga populations have been established on eight additional islands. It's been so successful that Richard Gibson, Auckland Zoo's head of animal care and conservation, says the programme will wrap up soon. 'We're going to be ending the wētāpunga programme very soon because we've done it. We've transformed that animal's risk of extinction.' It's feat that's extremely rare in conservation circles, where efforts can go on for decades just to conserve a few precious individuals. But for Richard and the rest of the team at the Zoo, this remarkable success is only the beginning. 'What we've done for the wētāpunga is given them a fighting chance for the next 100 to 200 years, but that's nothing in evolutionary terms.' It's a hard reality that all conservationists must grapple with. Human intervention at the brink of extinction can only do so much. So how do we build a future where endangered species can reestablish themselves and truly thrive? 'One could argue that the true value of the wētāpunga breed and release programme is in its advocacy, education and awareness role,' says Richard. 'It doesn't matter how hard we try to save a species or a group of species, we're only able to do it in a very short timeframe. Their long-term persistence relies on us changing our relationship with the planet.' Currently, the world is grappling with its sixth mass extinction. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the current species extinction rate is estimated to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than natural rates due to the impacts of human activity. Dozens of species are going extinct every day, and up to 50 percent of all species face extinction by 2050. In the face of this challenge, nothing less than a radical paradigm shift will make a real difference. Regardless, the ripple effects of the wētāpunga programme have been far reaching. Over the past decade, it has attracted media coverage from both national and international outlets like Al Jazeera. This coverage has helped raise the profile of the wētāpunga. Breed-and-release expeditions, meanwhile, have directly engaged the wider community, from children to iwi groups and volunteers. These missions have generated new appreciation for the wētāpunga and inspired future invertebrate champions. Long after these Zoo bred wētāpunga die and become part of the forest floor themselves, these messages will continue to resonate, says Richard. 'Auckland Zoo is all about conservation, yes, but we see Homo sapiens – our staff, visitors, volunteers and wider communities – as vital to the present and future health of this planet.' Kevin agrees and says: 'We sometimes hear people say that in a perfect world we wouldn't need zoos. But I disagree. In order for there to be a perfect world, we need good zoos that continue to nurture and support that human connection to nature, to wildlife and to each other.'
CBC
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
How the Toronto Zoo puts animals 'in the mood' to mate
Ever wonder how the Toronto Zoo makes sure those cute baby animals are born? CBC's Dwight Drummond went behind the scenes at the Toronto Zoo to find out.
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Science
- Newsweek
135-Year-Old Tortoise Celebrates First Father's Day
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Goliath, a 517-pound Galapagos tortoise and the oldest animal at Zoo Miami, celebrated his 135th birthday and became a father for the first time, zoo officials announced in a post on Facebook. Zoo Miami officials said they submitted an application to Guinness World Records to recognize Goliath as the world's "Oldest First-Time Father," and for Goliath and Sweet Pea as the "Oldest First-Time Parents." Their combined ages total more than 200 years. "Not only is this the first offspring for Goliath, but it is also the first time in the history of Zoo Miami that a Galapagos tortoise has hatched, making this an historic event on multiple levels!" the post read. Why It Matters The Galapagos tortoise is listed as endangered, with population numbers once drastically reduced by direct exploitation and habitat disruption. Modern threats of climate change and ongoing habitat loss contribute to conservation urgency. Found natively in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, wild populations of the tortoise have suffered sharp declines because of human exploitation and invasive species introduction. The successful breeding of the species at Zoo Miami represents a significant win for conservation efforts in the United States. Hatchling from one egg out of a clutch of 8 that was laid January 27th, successfully hatched on June 4th, 2025. Hatchling from one egg out of a clutch of 8 that was laid January 27th, successfully hatched on June 4th, 2025. Zoo Miami What To Know Goliath, who hatched on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos sometime between 1885 and 1890 according to varying official records, has resided in the U.S. since 1929 and at Zoo Miami since 1981. Although he has bred with several females, this is his first confirmed offspring in at least four decades of attempts, according to Zoo Miami. The hatchling was born on June 4, 2025 after 128 days of incubation - the first of its species to be bred and hatched at the South Florida zoo, marking a milestone moment for conservation and the institution's history, according to the post. The clutch, laid by Goliath's companion Sweet Pea on January 27, originally contained eight eggs but only one egg hatched successfully. On this Father's Day, Zoo Miami's oldest animal will be celebrating his 134th birthday! His name is 'Goliath,' and he is a Galapagos tortoise that weighs 517 pounds! Up until this prior week, he had... Sweet Pea is between 85 and 100 years old and has lived at Zoo Miami since 1960. The parents live in a public habitat, while the energetic hatchling is monitored in a protected enclosure, the Zoo explained. The oldest living tortoise known is Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise living on St. Helena and estimated to be 191 years old, as noted by the Guinness Book of World Records. What People Are Saying Zoo Miami said in a post on Facebook: "Goliath is my hero, and I am sure he will soon be an inspiration to many others! He is living proof that where there is a will, there is a way and to never give up!" What Happens Next The hatchling will remain under care in a specially monitored enclosure at Zoo Miami. Meanwhile, the application for Goliath's potential world record is under review by Guinness World Records. Zoo officials will continue their breeding and conservation programs with a focus on sustaining endangered reptilian species.
The Herald Scotland
03-06-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
'Compelling': Forgotten Scottish Booker Prize contender is republished
Williams, it seems, set out brutally to dismantle the idea that there is nobility in poverty and that humankind may rise above the misery in which it finds itself mired. There is nothing noble or virtuous or altruistic or patriotic in the pages of this compelling book. On the contrary, what we have here is a Zolaesque tale of men and women of modest means and minds scrabbling to make a living in 1950s Scotland that was little different to that endured by Burns's cottars two centuries before. Compelled to describe From Scenes Like These in one word, it is hard to look beyond 'grim'. If there is light, it is weak and dimming. The prevailing tone is one of despondency, typified by the rain which rarely relents. If weather is a determining factor of mood then Williams serves it by the bucket load. Sex, for instance, which is uppermost in many of the characters' thoughts, male and female, is conducted with all the ceremony of stallions mounting mares. Jimmy Shand, 'the best of the Scottish country bands', keeps feet tapping. Oh happy days! It's rumoured he asks £400 a gig. Sundays, still in thrall to religion, are even more 'grim' than working days. Canada is evoked as if it were nirvana, a place of greater prosperity and promise. Read more Rosemary Goring Williams's unfortunates, locked in the west of Scotland (its main town, Kilcaddie, is situated in Ayrshire), are not so much well-travelled as imprisoned with very occasional day releases. 'I went to Edinburgh once with my auntie,' says one woman. 'We went to the Zoo. All I can remember's a big golden eagle and a tiger.' First published in 1968, From Scenes Like These, as James Robertson acknowledges in an illuminating introduction, is Williams's 'masterpiece' and its republication is long overdue. The author was born in 1934 in Paisley, the son of a policeman, which may, in part at least, have made him allergic to authority. Leaving school at 15, he worked first as a farm labourer then for a local newspaper before being called up for National Service. That experience forms the backdrop to The Camp, his second novel, which appeared in 1966. His debut novel was The Last Day of Lincoln Charles, which was published a year earlier. In it, a young black private in the US Army, based in the UK, is accused of rape. In 1971, it was adapted - inventively, infamously - as Straw Dogs, with Dustin Hoffman in the lead role. Williams was of the same generation as Alan Sharp (1934-2013) and William McIlvanney (1936-2015). All were from towns in the greater Glasgow hinterland - Greenock in Sharp's case, Kilmarnock in McIlvanney's, Paisley, as mentioned, in Williams's. Their novels are determinedly realistic, male-dominated, westward facing, bleakly humorous, alcohol saturated. In From Scenes Like These, which, as Robertson points out, was shortlisted for the first Booker Prize in 1969, the action focuses on 15-year-old Dunky Logan. Though bright, he has left school to be a labourer on a nearby farm, owned by a father and son called Craig. Dunky's fellow workers are perhaps best described as coarse, with their locker room jokes and derogation of women. 'Kilcaddie,' we're told, 'was full of…tetchy bastards with hair-trigger tempers, guys who'd put a broken bottle in your face just for looking at them, guys who went to dances hoping for fights, who went on to a football pitch ready to break somebody's leg.' Author Gordon M. Williams died in 2017 (Image: FREE) Into this maelstrom - pun intended - drifts Mary O'Donnell, an Irish Catholic, as housekeeper to the Craigs. She has two features that draw her to the attention of Dunky and his work mates: her 'big tits' and a 'gamey leg'. What they do not know is that she is pregnant and desperate to secure a 'father' for the child. Her favourite candidate - let's be kind - is Willie Craig, who is the son of crabbit Auld Craig, who will determine who inherits the farm. 'I hope you like black puddin' and fried potatoes,' says Mary, as if offering quail's eggs and caviare. 'Hrrmmmph,' replies the old man. 'Don't be givin' us any fancy cookin', plain food's the best.' This, then, was Scotland a decade or so after the Second World War. People live from one pay day to the next. Football is less a sport than a religion. Buses packed with 'jiggers and boozers and winchers' shuttle from the schemes to the town in search of merriment. The cinema offers glimpses of glamour. When all else fails, there is alcohol and its annual festival, Hogmanay, when it is a civic duty to get hammered. 'Every night,' thinks Dinky, en route to becoming a 'man', 'should be Hogmanay, nobody cared what you did.' As a portrait of Scotia of yore, From Scenes Like These is breathtaking in its accuracy and honesty. 'This,' many grandparents of a good age might say, 'was what life was like when I was a child.' On one level it is raw social history, on another it is a compelling coming-of-age story which never descends into sentimentality or cliché, as is so often the case with novels about the working-class. What truly elevates it, however, is the quality of Williams's writing, which is always compelling and often beautiful. Williams wrote many more novels, including The Man Who Had Power Over Women, The Upper Pleasure Garden and Walk Don't Walk. He also ghosted the autobiographies of Bobby Moore, Tommy Docherty and Terry Venables, with whom he co-wrote They Used to Play on Grass, in which they predicted the coming of artificial pitches, and several thrillers featuring a detective called Hazell. He died in 2017.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Rare 20-year-old plant is blooming for the first and last time at Point Defiance
For a short window of time, visitors to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium will be in the presence of an unusual sight. The zoo's botanical garden has been the home and caretaker to an Agave parryi var. truncata, also referred to as an artichoke agave, for more than 17 years. Now, the plant is blooming for the first and only time over the next few weeks, a rare sight in Washington state, far from its natural habitat, Point Defiance Zoo lead horticulturist Bryon Jones told The News Tribune on Thursday. 'This plant is definitely an uncommon sight in the Northwest, and super uncommon to see one actually blooming that you can actually see in a public setting,' Jones said. According to the University of Arizona Campus Arboretum, the artichoke agave is an evergreen, perennial succulent part of the asparagus family — or asparagaceae — that presents with a blue-gray hue and pointy, toothed leaves growing in rosettes. Agave parryi var. truncata is native to central Mexico, but can also be found in the mountainous areas of the desert southwest, including in Arizona and New Mexico, he said. Artichoke agave plants typically take 15-20 years to reach maturity, at which point they bloom for one time only before dying, Jones said. During a bloom, the agave will grow a single stalk from its center — Jones said he had first noticed the beginning of the stalk around May 6 and estimated that this agave has reached about nine feet in height, meaning it could still grow taller in the coming weeks. The plant is just inside the zoo's main entrance. The zoo acquired the plant from a local nursery in Tacoma about 17 years ago, when the plant was the size of a softball — it is likely around 20 years old now, Jones said, adding that he has been working at the zoo's botanical garden for about 20 years and anticipating its bloom. 'All I saw was the middle of it started looking like some crazy alien was starting to come out of the middle of it, and then it came up so fast ... for the last few weeks, it would be two to three feet a week,' he said. He added that yellow flowers will blossom at the tip of the stalk likely in the next two to three weeks and will probably attract hummingbirds and other pollinators. The flowers should be visible on the plant for another two to three weeks; after that, if pollinated, they will start producing seeds, he said. The stalk, however, will remain in place throughout the summer and likely into fall, he said, adding that the zoo may take it down before winter once it begins to decompose and fall. Jones said the zoo also has a few other artichoke agave plants growing nearby that may bloom in the coming years; some appear to be a similar size and age, meaning it is possible that two or three blooms may eventually occur at the same time, he added. 'This is the first Agave parryi. Now, there's little agaves, and we've had a couple of those ... their stem is like the size of your finger,' Jones said. 'So, this is the first time we've had one this giant blooming.' Despite being out of its native habitat, the plant requires little upkeep other than the need to keep it raised to improve drainage and making sure it doesn't get too cold, Jones added, noting that the agave's native habitat often gets colder than the weather in Western Washington, which makes it relatively easy to grow in Tacoma. Krystle Robbins, a zoo visitor who was admiring the agave on Thursday, told The News Tribune she was impressed by the height of the stalk and enjoyed Jones' longtime investment in the plant and passion for nature. She said she'd be interested in returning to the zoo to see the agave once its flowers bloomed. 'I've never seen one in such a scale in person, it's really beautiful,' Robbins said. 'It's pretty amazing up here in the Pacific Northwest to see something like this.'
