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

Zoo keepers who have previously starred on the show.

Current animal stars (series 12)

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 DateDescriptionViewers
114 Sep 2008Molek 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.
221 Sep 2008
328 Sep 2008
45 Oct 2008
512 Oct 2008
619 Oct 2008Iwani 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.
726 Oct 2008
82 Nov 2008
99 Nov 2008
1016 Nov 2008
1123 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 DateDescriptionViewers
129 Jul 2012The 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
25 Aug 2012See 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
312 Aug 2012There'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
419 Aug 2012Shilo the zebra fights for her life; the great otter swap is on; and mischievous keas renovate their new home.659,360
526 Aug 2012Giraffe 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
62 Sep 2012The 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
725 Nov 2012Giraffe 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
82 Dec 2012Doris 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
99 Dec 2012The 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
1016 Dec 2012Lion 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

Popular Auckland Zoo zookeeper Trent Barclay has a passion for wild cats. In this series of ten episodes, Trent travels to South Africa to encounter wild cats up close and personal in their natural African habitat.

''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

Qantas Media Awards