Orana Wildlife Trust is dedicated to environmental preservation and conservation of endangered species through involvement in captive breeding programmes.

Staff are proud to have made contributions to conservation of New Zealand fauna including kiwi, blue duck, brown teal, antipodes island parakeet, tuatara and yellowhead. Internationally, Orana is known for its breeding programmes for Rothschild's giraffe, southern white rhinoceros, cheetah, scimitar-horned oryx and sable antelope.

In this race against time to save species from becoming extinct, Natureland Zoo is an important link in the worldwide network of zoos and parks dedicated to the preservation of rare and endangered species. As a modern zoological park, Natureland ascribes to the World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy and is therefore dedicated to becoming involved in more in-situ (in the wild) conservation projects in the future.

Orana Wildlife Trust is a full institutional member of the following organisations: World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (ARAZPA) and the New Zealand Conservation Management Group (NZCMaG), which is the New Zealand branch of ARAZPA. NZCMaG co-ordinates all the captive breeding programmes for New Zealand species on behalf of the Department of Conservation.

Orana is actively involved in recognised international and regional breeding programmes for most species displayed at the Zoo. Within such programmes, wildlife facilities either "breed" or "hold" any given species. Not all institutions can breed the same species as there are limited spaces to move offspring. Therefore, the role of a "holder" of an animal (examples at Orana include antipodes island parakeet, tuatara, otters and tigers) is to advocate for the conservation of that species and, if required, send animals to a breeding institution.

Examples of species successfully bred at Orana, as part of a captive breeding programme, include: NZ brown teal, blue duck and kiwi as well as exotic species such as Rothschild's giraffe, southern white rhinoceros, cheetah, scimitar-horned oryx and spider monkeys.

Most of the endangered animals at our facilities do not belong to Orana Wildlife Trust but to the relevant breeding programme which makes decisions as to which females are best bred with which males to ensure the most diverse gene pool possible in the captive populations. From time to time animals are moved between various zoos and parks to enhance the genetic diversity of their particular species.

Visitors to the Natureland may not see the conservation work as much of it takes place behind the scenes. This work costs a lot and Orana is only able to continue it by generous public support, through donations and bequests. Blue Duckling >

Brown Teal

Perhaps the most significant conservation work currently carried out by the Zoo is the involvement in "breed for release" captive recovery programmes for endanered New Zealand waterfowl (blue duck and brown teal) as well as North Island brown kiwi. Blue duck and brown teal have regularly been released to the wild.

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