With an impressive level of health care – including general anaesthetic health checks, dentistry, and a world class vet team, our animals are living much longer and richer lives.

As you may know, animals hide or mask pain and illness, due to an instinctive drive to protect themselves against predators. Here at the zoo it is the skill of our keepers who, through working closely with the animal, are able to tell  ‘when something is up’ - it is then, along with our vet team, they can ensure each animal has a positive quality of life.

Video

How our zoo vets and keepers care for our aging animals

Auckland Zoo senior vet Dr James Chatterton discusses our aging animals and the world class care we provide for them.

Some of our aging whānau members include Tasmanian devil Herod; our aging rehabilitated seals Kaiako and Orua; and our grand lady, Sumatran tiger Molek – join vet manager James, carnivore keepers Nick and Bianca, and seal keeper Lauren, to hear how we care for these aging animals.