Brooklands Zoo

Donkey (Equus asinus)

Diet: Donkeys are herbivores, which means they are a grazing animal and eat mostly grass and hay.

The donkey is a domesticated species and is used mostly as a working animal to transport goods. There are estimated to be more than 44 million donkeys worldwide.

They are known to be very intelligent, friendly and playful animals. Donkeys vocalise very loudly, with the sound they make called a bray. They have developed larger ears than a horse, which allows them to communicate with other donkeys over a 3km distance. A male is called a Jack and female is known as a Jenny. Their pregnancies last 12 months.

Goat(Capra aegagrus hircus)

Diet: The digestive systems of a goat allows them to eat nearly any organic substance; however, at the zoo their varied diet only includes grass, leaves and vegetables.

They are a ruminant, which means they have a fore-stomach with four chambers to help digest food. Goast are the oldest domesticated animals in the world, domesticated around 10,000 years ago. They were used to help transport goods and for their milk.

Did you know that goats are great swimmers, and they can produce around 1,800L of milk per year?

Red Devil Cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus hybrid)

Diet: In the wild they eat other fish, snails, small aquatic plants and insects.

Home: Found in freshwater lakes and in lower river valleys in Central America, Southern Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the Honduras.

Our red devil cichlids name is Simon. These are very territorial and aggressive fish when Simon rushes up to the side of his tank to kiss you, this is him acting aggressively towards you. Please step back and watch him from a distance. Red devil cichlids generally live to at least 15 years of age and will grow to approximately 30cm.

Its natural habitat includes the Amazon river basin in Peru, Colombia, and Brazil, particularly the Ucayali, Solimes and Amazon rivers, as well as the rivers of Amap in Brazil, the Oyapock River in French Guiana and the Essequibo River in Guyana. It is found in swamps or flooded grounds where vegetation is dense and the water is either clear or silty.

Kunekune Pig (Sus scrofa domestica)

Diet: The pig is an omnivore, which means it eats plant material and meat.

Home: New Zealand.

Kunekune are intelligent and have a placid nature. They are believed to have descended from an Asian domestic breed introduced to New Zealand in the early 1800s by whalers or traders. Kunekune were kept by the native Maori people - kunekune means chubby in the Maori language. In the late 1970s the population of purebred kunekune was believed to be around 50. With the effort of dedicated people they were saved from extinction and now number in the thousands around the world.

They are hairy and mostly have two tassels hanging from their lower jaw. They also have four toes and use the middle big toes for walking. Pigs can be trained and are great truffle finders.

Guinea Pig(Cavia porcellus)

Home: Andes

Also known as a cavy and belonging to the rodent family, guinea pigs were first domesticated as early as 5,000 BC for food by tribes in the Andean region of South America. Spanish, Dutch and English traders brought guinea pigs to Europe, where they quickly became popular as exotic pets among the upper classes and royalty, including Queen Elizabeth I.

There are many specialised breeds of guinea pig, with varying coat colors and compositions.

Alpaca (Lama pacos)

Cinnamon, Ricotta and Liquorice have all been born in New Plymouth, on an alpaca farm.

Alpaca were first domesticated by the Inca people of South America, about 5,000 years ago. They have been kept by the people of Peru, Bolivia and Chile ever since. They are well adapted to the thin air and low oxygen of the mountains in this region.

Alpaca, and their cousins the llama, belong to the same family of animals as camels (the cameloids).

Modern alpacas are kept for their fleece, which is even finer and softer than merino sheep wool. It is spun and knitted in the same way as sheep wool. Baby alpaca are called cria.

Alpaca (Lama pacos)

Cinnamon, Ricotta and Liquorice have all been born in New Plymouth, on an alpaca farm.

Alpaca were first domesticated by the Inca people of South America, about 5,000 years ago. They have been kept by the people of Peru, Bolivia and Chile ever since. They are well adapted to the thin air and low oxygen of the mountains in this region.

Alpaca, and their cousins the llama, belong to the same family of animals as camels (the cameloids).

Modern alpacas are kept for their fleece, which is even finer and softer than merino sheep wool. It is spun and knitted in the same way as sheep wool. Baby alpaca are called cria.

Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Diet: Chicken pellets, vegetables and small bugs such as worms.

The chicken is one of the most common and wide spread domestic animals, with a population of more than 24 billion. They were domesticated around 8,000 years ago. There are more chickens in the world than any other bird, with more than 150 different varieties of domestic chickens.

The rooster is a male chicken and crows all day round. Chickens life expectancy is between five and eleven years, with the worlds oldest chicken living until 16 years of age. They have four to five toes on each foot and have a heart beat of up to 315 beats per minute. The largest chicken egg ever laid weighed 450g and an egg was once found that contained nine yolks.

Free Flight Aviary

There are several species of birds in the free flight aviary including Love Birds, Golden Pheasants, a Lady Amhersts Pheasant, Musk Lorikeets, Rainbow Lorikeets, a Sun Conure, Moustached Parakeets, Superb Parrots, Red-crowned Kakarikis, Indian Ringneck Parakeets and Java Sparrows.

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Meerkats (Suricata suricatta)

Diet: In the wild meerkats eat insects, spiders, eggs and other small animals, roots and bulbs, and occasionally small birds.

Home: Meerkats are widespread in parts around the Kalahari Desert and Southern Africa. They are considered to be of least concern by the IUCN Redlist and there are no major threats to this species.

Meerkats spend a lot of time in large underground tunnels and are social animals. At least one member of the group watches for predators. They are vocal animals and communicate to the rest of the group to let them know when all is well and will warn of any potential predators.

Meerkats also spend a lot of time foraging for food. They have long front claws that are used to dig burrows and to find food. Their tails are used to help them balance and the black coloration around their eyes act like natural sunglasses to help them see against the bright sun.

Small-clawed Otter (Aonyx cinerea)

Diet: In the wild small clawed otters eat a variety of crustaceans and molluscs. Here at the zoo we feed them a variety of food including minced meat, fish, day-old chicks, eggs and seafood

Home: Indonesia, southern China, southern India, the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

Small clawed otters are threatened by habitat destruction, hunting and pollution.

They are the smallest members of the otter family (the mustelid) and are highly social animals and communicate with each other by noise and scent.

They prefer shallow freshwater areas and have slightly webbed paws which are very dextrous. They use their forepaws to feel for molluscs and crustaceans in rocks, vegetation and mud. Their water-resistant fur keeps them warm and they are able to close their nostrils and ears to keep water from getting in them when they are under the water

Cotton-top Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus)

Diet: In the wild cotton-top tamarins eat a variety of insects, fruit, saps and plants.

Home: Cotton-top tamarins are an endangered species, found in the rainforests and woodland areas of South America (throughout Amazonia into Guianas, Columbia and Central America).

There are currently more of these primates living in captivity than in the wild as they are threatened by the pet trade and deforestation of their natural habitat.

They are social animals and live in pairs or family groups. Tamarin females always give birth to twin offspring and the male plays a significant role in caring for the young, primarily by carrying them around. Without this help the female would not be able to cope with the extra energy demands of lactation.

In most cases, non-reproductive animals help the parents to carry and rear their offspring. Among monkeys this form of cooperative breeding is found only in the tamarin and marmoset species.

Brown or Black-capped Capuchin (Cebus apella)

Diet: Primarily fruit and insect eaters.

Home: Central America.

Capuchin are highly intelligent primates and love to explore their surroundings. They are expert climbers and use their prehensile tails like an extra arm to move around the canopy.

They live in groups and although they are small in size, they are deceptively strong! They communicate with each other by using a variety of vocal and facial expressions.

Capuchin monkeys can live up to 40 years of age.