Late night for love birds at Auckland Zoo

4 February 2008

Late night for love birds at Auckland Zoo

Let your romantic side go wild this Valentine's Day at Auckland Zoo, one of Auckland's most romantic destinations.

Open late until 9pm, the zoo is the perfect location to woo your loved one. Take a twilight stroll through the zoo's lush grounds and visit the animals. Let the City of Sails Barbershop serenade you with love songs throughout the evening, and watch the sunset over the band rotunda.

You can bring a picnic, or visit the licensed Darwin's café, which is offering a sumptuous selection of "love bites". Wild Zone Gift Shop is also open until 7pm if you're looking for a last minute gift.

While some animals may have retired for the night, others will be out and actively enjoying the evening, so be sure to take advantage of the romantic photo spots as you wander.

To complement the romantic theme of the evening, zookeepers will be running special encounters throughout the night where you can learn about the interesting courtship and mating habits of animals like the Galapagos tortoise and Sumatran tiger. At 6pm there is also the opportunity to hand-feed giraffe.

You could be excused for thinking Valentine's has come early at the zoo, with meerkat babies delighting visitors and staff alike, and the potential pregnancy of Molek, a Sumatran tiger. Female Molek and male Oz mated for the first time last month, and the zoo is hopeful the mating was successful. You can learn more about this big-cat couple at the tiger encounter.

Normal zoo admission applies and friends of the Zoo members receive a 20 per cent discount on entry to this event.

ENDS

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