Frequently Asked Questions
How many animals live at Wellington Zoo?
How much do the animals eat a day?
Can I feed the animals at the Zoo?
Do you have snakes at Wellington Zoo?
Do you have elephants at Wellington Zoo?
I can't see the kiwi in the Twilight, when can I see a kiwi?
Which animal is the...
How do I become a zoo keeper or work at the Zoo?
How many people visit Wellington Zoo a year?
How big is Wellington Zoo?
How many animals live at Wellington Zoo?
There are around 500 animals in the Zoo comprising just over 100 species. The number of animals in the Zoo is constantly changing due to births, deaths or transfers to and from other zoos.
How much do the animals eat a day?
It costs approximately $5,000 per week to feed all the animals a range of foods, including: vegetables, fruit, meat, dried food like porridge and pellets, crayfish, eels, mice, insects, worms, bread, blood iceblocks etc.
Can I feed the animals at the Zoo?
The only way to feed an animal at the Zoo is if you do one of our Close Encounters, where you get to hand feed a red panda or a giraffe or if you attend one of our giraffe talks you may get lucky enough to hand feed one of the giraffes their favourite food.
Otherwise, we ask that our visitors do not feed our animals. Our animals are on strictly monitored diets, and food from another source could make them sick. For example, if you fed one of our monkeys and you had a cold, the germs from your hands would infect the monkey and it would get very sick.
Do you have snakes at Wellington Zoo?
We don't have snakes at the Zoo, in fact you're not allowed snakes in New Zealand at all. Along with venomous reptiles, venomous fish, squirrels or moles and many other species that pose a threat to New Zealand's native flora and fauna.
Do you still have elephants at Wellington Zoo?
We don't have elephants at Wellington Zoo, Kamala our last elephant died in 1983. Wellington Zoo is a small Zoo and is not suitable for elephants. Ideally elephants should live in a herd, and they prefer flat ground - since the Zoo is built on a hill that's not good for elephants.
I can't see the kiwi in the Twilight, when can I see a kiwi?
Due to the dark lighting and lush foliage in the Twilight, it can be difficult for visitors to see a kiwi. However, every day at 1.15pm, Wellington Zoo's advocacy kiwi, Tahi, is in his special enclosure at the entrance to the Twilight. Our zoo guides will tell you all about Tahi and what you can do to help kiwi in the wild.
Which animal is the:
Heaviest? - giraffe
Tallest? - giraffe
Longest? - giraffe
Fastest? - cheetah
Oldest?- tuatara
Smallest? - weta
One that has lived at the Zoo the longest? - Nippy the gibbon.
How do I become a zoo keeper or work at the Zoo?
If you are interested in a zoo career a good way to start out is to become a volunteer, or you can study towards becoming a zoo keeper.
How many people visit Wellington Zoo a year?
Around 175,000 people.
How big is Wellington Zoo?
Wellington Zoo is approximately 13 hectares in total.
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