Auckland Zoo on a hot summer's afternoon

I may have headed to the Zoo yesterday to see the tigers, but I did take other photos as well.

There was the Galapagos Tortoise feeding ...

 

With two females and one male, the Zoo are trying to successfully breed them. But, so far, only infertile eggs have been found.

The macaws next door got their lunch around the same time.

So did the Eclectus Parrot.

Part of the 1923 architecture of the zoo: the band rotunda.

Complete with a water feature which drew thirsty kids like a magnet on the hot day.

Except this is not what they should be trying to drink. I did see one kiddy precariously balance on the rim to take a drink, but she soon spat it out.

According to some very handy early maps of the zoo published on the Zoo Chat messageboard, it appears that this enclosure dates from sometime between the late 1920s and 1950 -- by the latter period, it was four separate compartments, housing vultures.

These days, it is home to a very different animal.

A lone chimpanzee, named Janie.

These days, she's close to 60 years old, taken from her mother in Sierra Leone and shipped first to London Zoo, then to Auckland in 1956.

There, she became one of the zoo's tea-party chimps, a practice that charmed visitors but didn't do a lot of good for the chimpanzees. The practice ceased in 1963, fifty years ago.

In the 1980s, an unsuccessful attempt was made to integrate the three survivors, Janie, Josie and Bobbie, with a mother-raised chimpanzee group. Josie died in 2000, Bobbie in 2004, and now Janie is the sole survivor of an old idea in the zoo's history, housed in one of the zoo's oldest enclosures.

She has Type 2 diabetes these days, but otherwise is well-looked after by the keepers.

Next to Janie's cage -- the Aussie walkabout area.

Star of the show wasn't even an Aussie.

A bit of luck, that while I was waiting for the tiger encounter, I spotted a keeper giving food to a couple of the otters.

Tiger, tiger ...

Finally today, on a hot Auckland summer afternoon, I had the opportunity of photographing the tigers at the Auckland Zoo again -- but this time, in a lot more detail. 

Between the two tiger enclosures is this elevated walkway. Here Oz, the male tiger, and Molek, the female, swap sides.

Oz engaged in the enrichment programme.

He apparently also loves a bowl of Whiskas milk (so do the local sparrows), and a roll around on a piece of sacking with Serval cat scent.

Qantas' golden year

(As suggested by two on my Facebook friends' list -- here is something I popped up there)

At the moment, I'm doing a bit of a declutter in part of my house (I hope and intend for the project to continue to other parts of the house as well. I need the room) Anyway -- this week, out of a pile of old magazines, I found this: a 1970 Qantas Pacific routes flight guide. This would have come to here via one of my half-brothers who visited New Zealand around that time (when I was 6). Can't say this is familiar to me at all before now, and probably has been lost among magazines and what-have-you all this time. 

"You have only to ask the Steward for anything you need. Drinks and cigarettes can be purchased in flight in accordance with Customs and Excise limitations ... Complimentary toiletry items are available ... We carry standard baby foods, a bassinette, safety pins, disposable diapers, feeding bottle, comforter and talc. Ask the Flight Hostess or Flight Steward for chess, playing cards, draughts, crossword puzzles, a selection of children's games, and airmail writing paper. The flight library contains a variety of good books and current magazines, also books suitable for children of all ages.

"Qantas personnel may not accept gratuities of any kind. Offering a tip will only cause embarrassment. Their reward is knowing they helped make your flight more enjoyable."

Maps are included, so you can "follow your flight path" from Europe or anywhere Qantas flew, down to Australia and New Zealand. There's a description of the flight staff uniforms, their cadet schools, and info on the Qantas V-Jet.

At the time, Qantas were celebrating their 50th anniversary, so provided passengers with three gold-coloured postcards showing views from their history. Also, a remnant of the days when smoking was allowed on commercial planes -- and flammable liquids allowed in the cabin. 

"T Model Ford driven by Hudson Fysh. He surveyed Qantas' original air route in a similar vehicle."

"DH50J, 1928. 4 passengers. 105 mph. Three of these 'workhorses' were built by Qantas at Longreach, Queensland."

"AVRO 504K, 1921. Pilot and 2 passengers. 65 mph. Intrepid passengers flew in this, Qantas' first aircraft, on taxi trips and joy-rides."