Media release
27 February 2012

Celebrate Seaweek at Auckland Zoo

Dive in to Auckland Zoo to celebrate Seaweek from Monday 5 March to Sunday 11 March and discover how we can all be kaitiaki (guardians) of our coasts.

‘One Ocean – Too Much Love? Turning the Tide’ is the theme for this 2012 national celebration, and the Zoo has marine-themed activities and encounters happening throughout the week for all visitors to enjoy.

Explore the Sustainable Coastlines Education Station shipping container (5 – 9 March) and join Zoo educators and Wai Care for fun activities in the Te Wao Nui’s Conservation Centre. For a whale of a tale, head to our New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine where you can find out all about the vet team’s recent forensics work on a Bryde’s whale. Check out other Seaweek hotspots around the Zoo and take in encounters with little penguin, dotterel, fur seals, sea lions and eels.

“Seaweek reminds us that we have spectacular coastal environments to celebrate and explore throughout New Zealand, but that not all of them are in such great shape. The good news is we can all play our part in helping to restore and protect them. That can be as simple as keeping our dogs off dunes and beaches where seal and shorebirds live, or choosing to buy fish using a ‘Best Fish Guide’,” says Auckland Zoo director Jonathan Wilcken.

“As a zoo, we’re committed to sharing our skills and resources to help wildlife and wild habitats on our back doorstep. Recently, we’ve had staff helping to care for marine life affected by the Rena oil spill. Right now, we have keepers out in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park helping conservation partners to settle in and monitor the population of rare shore plover that have recently been released on Motutapu Island,” says Mr Wilcken.

“We really hope Aucklanders will come out in force this Seaweek and join us in celebrating and discovering more about this country’s amazing coast, explore more about what the Zoo’s doing, and share ideas about what we can all do to ensure healthy marine environments for the future.”

Seaweek www.seaweek.org.nz is an annual celebration of the sea coordinated by the New Zealand Association of Environmental Educators. This year Auckland Zoo will host its official opening by Conservation Minister, the Hon Kate Wilkinson, at 7pm on 5 March

Notes to editor

FAST FACTS: Seaweek Activities
• Kaitiaki and the Coast activities: Pick up a complimentary Seaweek Activity Sheet and venture around the Zoo to the marked Seaweek hot spots for activities and displays
• Encounters: Longfin eel (orea), 10.45am (7 – 11 March) in Te Wao Nui’s The Wetlands; Fur seal and sea lion, 12.30pm (5 – 11 March) in Te Wao Nui’s The Coast; Tuatara 1.15pm (5 and 6 March) in Te Wao Nui’s The Islands; Whale forensics, 1.30pm (5 – 9 March) at NZCCM viewing gallery
• Marine species to discover at Auckland Zoo: New Zealand fur seal (kekeno), sub-Antarctic fur seal, Californian sea lion, blue penguin, NZ dotterel, spotted shag (parekareka), long-finned eel (known locally as orea), and white-faced heron (matuku)

FAST FACTS: Auckland Zoo marine conservation
Rena assistance: From October to early December 2011, 24 Auckland Zoo staff worked 1196 hours in Tauranga, using their specialist NZ bird and marine mammal husbandry skills to care for marine life affected by the Rena oil spill.
Whale forensics work: The Zoo’s NZ Conservation Medicine Centre (NZCCM) staff recently conducted a necropsy on an endangered 15-metre Bryde’s whale on Motuihe Island, that had been found floating in the Hauraki Gulf. It revealed significant haemorrhage and blunt trauma, most likely due to ship strike. The NZCCM is continuing to work with Auckland University, DOC and Massey University to develop a forensic pathology response team to investigate causes of whale mortalities.
Fairy tern and NZ dotterel incubation: Every breeding season, Zoo staff work with Department of Conservation (DOC) staff to maximise productivity for the rare fairy tern (vulnerable to predation by pests and habitat destruction) by incubating eggs and then returning them to the wild to hatch. As required, the Zoo also works with DOC incubating NZ dotterel eggs in the same way.
Fieldwork for shore plover: Zoo staff are currently assisting DOC and Motatapu Restoration Society staff with settling in and monitoring the population of rare shore plover recently released onto Motutapu Island, and will continue to do so over the coming months.
Maui’s dolphin and sea lion conservation support: Through the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund, the Zoo has funded genetics research by DOC’s Maui Dolphin Recovery Group that may have implications for how Maui’s dolphin are managed in the future. The Fund is also currently helping fund important research by the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust on the effect of commercial fishing on the Nationally Critical NZ sea lion. An Auckland Zoo marine mammal keeper will travel to Stewart Island this May to assist marine mammal scientists to tag New Zealand sea lions; two of the tags have been funded by the Zoo’s Conservation Fund.

ENDS

ABOUT AUCKLAND ZOO
Auckland Zoo is operated by Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA), a council-controlled organisation of Auckland Council. It is home to the largest collection of native and exotic wildlife species in New Zealand (over 860 animals and 138 species) and attracts over half a million visitors annually. It is becoming increasingly well-known nationally, and internationally through the award-winning television programme, The Zoo. At the heart of all Auckland Zoo's work and activities is its mission: "to bring people together to build a future for wildlife”. Auckland Zoo is a member of both the Zoo and Aquarium Association (Australasia) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

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