Orana Wildlife Park: Yakety Yak

Orana Wildlife Park
MEDIA RELEASE

Yakety Yak

20 August, 2014

Five Tibetan Yaks are the latest addition to Orana Wildlife Park. The impressive shaggy animals arrived today and will be on public display tomorrow morning.

These remarkable animals are naturally found in the Himalayas; they are the ‘vehicles on the roof of the world.’ Yaks are important animals used for carting equipment. Their milk, butter and cheese is a staple diet of the Tibetan people and the butter fuels lamps for lighting!

Head Keeper of Exotic Mammals, Rob Clifford, says: “Tibetan Yaks are classified as vulnerable and their populations are declining due to poaching and habitat loss. They are really cool, unusual animals with impressive horns and a shaggy coat. Our aim in holding them is to initially raise awareness on the plight of these interesting creatures. We do hope to breed them in the future by artificial insemination since we hold a steer and four females.”

About Orana Wildlife Park
Orana Wildlife Park is NZ’s only open range zoo and is home to over 400 animals from more than 70 different species. The Park is owned and operated by Orana Wildlife Trust, a registered charitable trust. The Trust is committed to the conservation of wildlife diversity on this planet. Our aims, along with being dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and the welfare of our animals, are to provide education, recreation and enjoyment to the public and to support research relating to endangered animals. The Trust is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia (ZAA) and ZAA NZ.

ENDS

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