My boyfriend Ken is the Hamilton Zoo Education Team Leader and through him, I was offered the chance to explore Hamilton Zoo, photograph the animals, keepers and environments as well as to experience some of the Eye to Eye and Face to Face sessions that you can organise with the animals. Some of the enclosures that we visited and the experiences we had with the animals were very “behind the scenes” as part of off exhibit scenes so I’m very lucky to have been given this opportunity!

Hamilton Zoo began its life in 1969 as Hilldale Game Farm. Hilldale was privately owned and functioned mainly to raise birds for the Acclimatisation Society and they also had some exotic mammals and birds for viewing. Hamilton Zoo became its own identity in 1976 when it was bought by the Hamilton City Council and a Zoological trust bought the 14 hectares and the animals. Today, Hamilton Zoo has 25 hectares and over 600 animals.

Hamilton Zoo’s conservation role includes raising awareness and funds for the conservation of animals in the wild.
The Hamilton Zoo Conservation Fund was established in October 2006 to accumulate and distribute funds raised from public donations, 10% of revenue for animal encounters (Eye2Eye and Face2Face) and proceeds from special conservation events.  Face2Face tours give you the opportunity to get up close to the animals for a small $10 charge. For example on Mondays, you can feed the lemurs in their enclosure and watch the group interacting with the keepers – and each other.

Sam is Hamilton Zoo’s team leader for mammals. She met us at the enclosure and took us in with a large bucket filled with vegetables to meet the Black and White Ruffed Lemurs and the Ring-Tail Lemurs. Ruffed Lemurs are on the critically endangered list so getting the chance to see them – and feed them – was amazing.

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Ring-tailed lemurs sit on their hunches to eat, gripping food with their hands (they have opposable thumbs, nails and palms just like we do) and tipping their heads back so that the juices of the fruits run into their mouth and not down their fur!  Lemurs are only found on the island of Madagascar. The ring-tailed lemur is the most terrestrial (ground dwelling) of all the lemurs, and is easily recognisable by its black and white striped tail.

Eye2Eye tours take you even closer to the animals and give you more of a chance to talk with the keepers about their enclosures and to learn about how they live their lives at Hamilton Zoo.

Delwyn took us on a tour of the tiger enclosure and gave us the opportunity to feed Jaka – a Sumatran tiger.  Using a set of tongs of course!!
It was a very muggy day so Jaka wasn’t interested in us or the food at first however once the meat was out, things changed a little bit.

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Sumatran tigers are also on the critically endangered list.   It is estimated that there are only around 500 tigers in the wild.
Jaka has a sister, Mencari, at the zoo as well.  Delwyn sent them both to separate cages via a very intricate series of catches and latches and pulleys and gates and this allowed us to enter in to the enclosure to become “Tiger Bait”.
We walked around touching trees and rocks and spraying some water and then went back behind the fence.  When Jaka was let out, it was like watching a cat or dog scope out their territory!  Sniffing exactly where we had been – very interesting!

Almost bang on schedule, Ken got a call from Kylie to say that she was heading over to feed the Siamangs and the chimpanzees.  Of all the gibbons, siamang are considered the best at walking upright, holding their long arms above their heads for balance. Most of a siamang’s life is spent in the tree canopy where their long arms allow them to swing from branch to branch.

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The chimpanzees are separated into males and females as part of the integration and breeding process and also to manage the aggression between the two sexes.

The chimpanzees are so expressive.  Their faces appear to be full of emotion.
Its so very easy to see why Hamilton Zoo supports the ‘Snare Intervention’ programme and ‘Ugandan paper beads’ programme. The sale of gift cards and the paper bead jewellery helps provide an alternative income for families and reduce the poaching of Chimpanzees.

Food was literally thrown around the inside enclosure so that the chimps can climb and find it.

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So after an amazing day with the staff and some of the animals, I totally recommend that if you are heading to – or through Hamilton – head to Hamilton Zoo.  If you get the opportunity, definitely do one of the tours.  Or grab a keeper and ask them some questions – the keepers absolutely love their job and know the animals personalities as well as interesting facts about their species.  The team at the zoo is fantastic and we are lucky to have this space (as well as Auckland Zoo, Wellington Zoo and Orana Park).

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