The Zoo (New Zealand TV series)
The Zoo is an award winning New Zealand observational documentary series, made by Greenstone TV, that follows the lives of Auckland Zoo's animals and zookeepers. The series explores the new arrivals and births of Auckland Zoo, to the fights, illnesses and mating rituals, how the animals are fed and how they live. The series' production crew are based full-time at the zoo, but the series also follows zookeepers overseas on zoo-related trips.
The Zoo returned to New Zealand's TV One in 2013 for its 13th season. In the UK, it airs on Animal Planet.
Zoo staff
Season 12 staff stars
- Christine Tintinger - Senior Primate keeper
- Amy Robbins - Team Leader of Primates
- Nat Sullivan - Team Leader of Pridelands
- Andrew Coers - Team Leader of Elephants and Sea Lions
- Bethany Jackson - Vet-in-residence
- Richard Gibson - Team Leader of Reptiles and Invertebrates
- Natalie Clark - NZ Birds Keeper
Main staff stars
- Sandra Rice - Senior Carnivore keeper
- Carly Day - Primate keeper
- Laurel Sandy - Elephant & Sea Lion keeper
- Richard Gibson- Team leader of reptiles and invertebrates
- Rickard Jakob Hoff - Senior Veterinarian - Conservation and Research
- John Potter - Senior Veterinarian
Former staff stars
- Trent Barclay - Senior Carnivore keeper
- Maria Barclay - Senior Vet nurse
- Sam Stephens - Senior Pridelands keeper
- Mike Harvey - Keeper
- Tania Crook - Keeper
- Brooke Noonan - Curator
- Maria Finnagan - Curator
Animals
Current animal stars (series 12)
- Oz
- Molek
- Berani
- Doris
- Osiris
- Anubis
- Janie
- Burma
- Kaioko
- Moana
- Orua
- Atamai
- Jelani
- Zubulu
- Rukiya
- Kiraka
- Nakuru
- Faith
- Fudge
- Maya
- Mosi
- Shiloh
- Charlie
- Melur
- Madju
- Wanita
Former animal stars
- Snorkel - euthanized 1 October 2010
- Kashin - euthanized 24th Aug 2009
- Nisha - *eta deceased May 12, 2006
- Hari - departed Auckland Zoo
- Hoi-An - departed Auckland Zoo
- Saigon - departed Auckland Zoo
- Indra - departed Auckland Zoo
Seasons
Season 1 (1999)
The premiere season of The Zoo.2004
This season premiered on TV2 on Sunday 5 September.Season 8 (2006)
Season 9 (2007)
Season 10 (2008)
This series aired on TV2.Ep No. | NZ Air Date | Description | Viewers |
1 | 14 Sep 2008 | Molek and Oz, the Sumatran tigers, finally get a look at each other as they take their first steps towards parenthood. Plus, there is serious concern for Kashin the elephant. | |
2 | 21 Sep 2008 | ||
3 | 28 Sep 2008 | ||
4 | 5 Oct 2008 | ||
5 | 12 Oct 2008 | ||
6 | 19 Oct 2008 | Iwani the siamang gibbon and his family swap houses, Kura the lioness is injured in a fight, and in Thailand, Laurel goes swimming with a one-month-old baby elephant. | |
7 | 26 Oct 2008 | ||
8 | 2 Nov 2008 | ||
9 | 9 Nov 2008 | ||
10 | 16 Nov 2008 | ||
11 | 23 Nov 2008 |
Season 11 (2010)
Season 12 (2012)
Premiered on Sunday 29 July 2012.Currently airs on TV One at 7pm on Sundays.
Ep No. | NZ Air Date | Description | Viewers |
1 | 29 Jul 2012 | The cameras are there as tigers rip into a fresh deer hide pinata, Burma the elephant swims in a fresh lagoon, and young giraffe Jelani heads off over the ditch on his big OE. | 609,300 |
2 | 5 Aug 2012 | See a day in the life of the zoo's oldest resident, Janie the chimpanzee; giraffe Jelani finds his sea legs; and the keepers rescue wild birds after the Rena oil spill disaster. | 598,290 |
3 | 12 Aug 2012 | There's a cheeky new kid on the block; red panda Maya has lost her appetite; and the orangutans try their hand at painting. | 651,630 |
4 | 19 Aug 2012 | Shilo the zebra fights for her life; the great otter swap is on; and mischievous keas renovate their new home. | 659,360 |
5 | 26 Aug 2012 | Giraffe Zabulu gets a new playmate; Melur the orangutan behaves for the vet; and reptile keepers pull out all the stops to get Smiley the tortoise in the mood for love. | 644,490 |
6 | 2 Sep 2012 | The zoo's new spider monkeys deliver a lot of laughs; Molek the tiger undergoes a root canal; and keepers uncover some of the mysteries of our rarest frogs. | 621,800 |
7 | 25 Nov 2012 | Giraffe Rukiya is pregnant, fifteen shore plovers are released onto Motutapu Island, and the zoo's cheetah brothers go on an early morning walkabout. | 599,320 |
8 | 2 Dec 2012 | Doris the alligator is suffering from a locked jaw and has trouble eating. Elsewhere, Auckland Zoo keepers assist with a night-time round-up of kiwi on Motuora Island. | 633,570 |
9 | 9 Dec 2012 | The seal encounter goes high tech with a brand new underwater communication system, the zoo's porcupine pair go underground, and a wild kaka shot with a slug gun goes into surgery. | 536,010 |
10 | 16 Dec 2012 | Lion Lazarus is crate training for his trip across the ditch, and there is a bouncing bonanza in the Aussie Walkabout, with brand new joeys and a wallaby round-up. | 499,970 |
Specials
Zoo Babies (2002)
This 1-hour The Zoo special takes a look at pregnancy, birth and infancy at Auckland Zoo. Explores the successes and failures of trying to breed giraffes, lions, orang-utans, tigers, pink flamingos and the native New Zealand tuatara.Zoo Babies 2: Raising Baby Iwani (2005)
The story of Baby Iwani, the siamang gibbon, who was rejected by his mother and 'adopted' by zookeeper Christine Tintinger. This 60-minute special leads up to the day Christine has to give him back to Mum.Spin-off series
''Two By Two At The Zoo'' (2005)
Two By Two At The Zoo is a series made up of ten episodes of specials from The Zoo series. Two By Two At The Zoo explores Auckland Zoo's favourite animals and the keepers who care for them.Episodes
- Episode 1: Red Panda babies
- Episode 2: Treating Kashin
- Episode 3: Rhino enclosure
- Episode 4: tea party chimps
- Episode 5: Kiwi Breeding Programme
- Episode 6: Kura the Cub of Lion Hill
- Episode 7: Emergency care for Siamang Gibbon twin babies
- Episode 8: Entertaining a Tiger
- Episode 9: Iwani the Siamang Gibbon reuniting with his parents
- Episode 10: Hippos changing homes
''Trent's Wildcat Adventures'' (2006)
''The Zoo: This Is Your Life'' (2008)
The Zoo spin-off series, The Zoo: This Is Your Life, celebrates five special Auckland Zoo animals. The series follows Indra the orangtan, Kashin the elephant, Kura the lioness, Zabulu the giraffe and Kito the rhino. It features archive video footage and photos, and interviews current and former keepers. All stories feature highs and lows including births and traumatic deaths, stressful journeys, life-threatening illness and daring escapes.Episodes
DVD releases
- Best Of The Zoo: Highlights 1, 2, 3
- Best Of The Zoo 2: Highlights 4, 5, 6
- Best Of The Zoo 3: Highlights 7, 8, 9
- Best of The Zoo 4: The Complete Series 10
- Best of The Zoo 2012: Series 12
- Best of the Zoo: Box Set - Highlights from Series 1 - 9; Zoo Babies & Raising Baby Iwani
- Zoo Babies & Raising Baby Iwani
- The Zoo: This Is Your Life
Awards
Qantas Media Awards
- Winner : Best Information Programme
- Winner : Finalist
- Winner : Finalist
NZ TV Awards
- Winner : Most Popular Family Programme
TV Guide 'Best on the Box'
- Winner : Favourite Documentary Series
- Winner : Favourite Documentary Series
- Winner : Favourite Documentary Series
- Winner : Favourite Documentary Series
- Winner : Favourite Documentary Series
- Winner : Favourite Documentary Series
- Winner : Favourite Documentary Series