TRAVEL
This is the eighth part in my ‘Aloha Series.’ In this edition I feature the Honolulu Zoo. This was part of my eight-day visit to Hawaii, United States in April 2026.
IT was Tuesday, April 21 – the fifth day in Hawaii.
On this day my partner Mulberry and I had the Honolulu zoo visit on the itinerary. It cost about US$17 (K74) for an uber ride from my cousin’s apartment to the zoo.
The zoo is located in Waikiki at the eastern end of Queen Kapiolani Park. It sits at the corner of Kapahulu Avenue and Kalakaua Avenue, between the famous Waikiki Beach and the slopes of Diamond Head. We paid US$21 (K91) each for an adult entry ticket. There is a discount for local Hawaii residents and military personnel.
Brief History of Honolulu Zoo
The following information was extracted from the City and County of Honolulu which runs the zoo. The Honolulu Zoo is within a radius of 3,849 km. It is also the only zoo in the United States that originated in a King’s grant of royal lands to the people. In 1876, King David Kalakaua, Monarch of Hawaii, made lands of the Leahi Crown Holdings available, “to the people of Hawaii.”
The Honolulu Zoo is unique as it is the only zoo in the United States to be established by grants made by a monarch.
In 1914, the City of Honolulu assumed responsibility for Kapiolani Regional Park. In 1947, 17 hectares within Kapiolani Park, was designated as the Honolulu Zoo.
A master plan was developed in 1984 for a Tropical Zoological Garden. There about 900 different animals from the tropics that reside at the Honolulu Zoo. There are Komodo Dragons, orangutans, elephants, primates, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and a variety of African animals.
My Zoo Experience
The first zoo I visited was the Adelaide Zoo in South Australia, in 1998. Now, 28 years later, I felt like a kid again as I was just as excited to see the African wildlife especially the elephants, lions and tigers.
As soon as we entered the zoo we turned right and saw the bright pink American Flamingos. We then headed for the primates, reptiles, African savanah and birds’ sections of the zoo. It was fascinating to see foreign animals on an island, surrounded by the high rise buildings of Honolulu city, the iconic Diamond Head crater, and Waikiki beach.
Unfortunately, some of the animals at the zoo are facing extinction in their habitats. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) defines the term “endangered” as species considered facing a ‘very high’ risk of extinction in the wild.
White-handed Gibbon
The first endangered species we saw at zoo at the Primates section was the white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar). White-handed gibbons, also known as Lar gibbons have long arms and specialised writ joints that function like a pendulum, allowing them to swing across large distances between branches.
I saw at least two creatures chilling in their tree house. Their grunting noise and swinging gestures attracted a crowd. They weigh between 4.5kg to 7.7kg and can grow up to between 41cm and 58cm tall. They have a life span of 30 years and are found in the rainforests of South-East Asia.
Other species at the primate section that are also endangered are the ringed-tailed lemur, siamang, and the black-handed spider monkey.
Asian elephant
Mulberry and I avoided the reptile section because I do not like snakes and lizards. Instead we made a beeline for the African Savannah Section – my favourite.
We were at the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) enclosure but there were no elephants. Instead we smelt their feaces (dung). Interestingly their dung and movement through the forests helps to disperse germinating seeds. The only thing dung was germinating was my nose. We waited for more than 30 minutes. But it was worth the wait when two elephants that weigh between 2-7 tonnes finally appeared. Their slow movements and large presence was a remarkable sight.
Reticulated giraffes
Next were the two reticulated giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulate) situated at the northern section of the zoo. One giraffe hardly moved and it almost looked like a statue – it might have been asleep. The other was casually eating leaves.
Giraffes weigh between 680kg and 1,360kg and grow to between 4.2m and5.8m tall. They can live from 10-15 years in the wild. Giraffes have big spots purposely for camouflage and temperature regulation. Each giraffe has a unique spotted pattern.
Lion
We slowly found our way to the King of the Jungle – the Lion (Panthera leo). Its enclosure is secured behind a high wall and see through glass. We saw one lion nestled near a shade beside the wall. The lion with its chilled vibes looked like it did not want to see humans.
These big cats can grow 1m to 1.2m tall at the shoulder and can live 10-14 years in the wild. They weigh between 110kg and 250kg. Lions are the only true social cats, who live in structured groups called prides. A pride usually consists of related females, their cubs and one to three dominant males.
Lions are apex predators meaning they sit at the top of the food chain and help regulate the populations of herbivores. Once roaming across much of Africa, Europe, and Asia, lions have now vanished from over 90 per cent of their historic range. They face growing threats from habitat loss, human conflict, and illegal wildlife trade.
Conservation efforts today focus on coexistence, habitat protection, and anti-poaching initiatives. Lions are classified as vulnerable. WWF defines ‘vulnerable’ as a species considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
Black rhinoceros
Behind a wooden fence was the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis). They weigh between 800kg and 1,400kg and can grow up to between 305cm to 366cm long. The have a lifespan of 35to 50 years.
They are browsers, meaning they primarily feed on leaves, twigs, and branches from trees and shrubs. Black rhinos are actually grey in colour but they often cover themselves in mud to stay cool and protect themselves against insect bites and sunburn.
Rhino skin can be up to two inches thick, protecting them from the sun and thorns of the African savannah. They live in habitats like forests and woodlands and shrub-lands in eastern and southern Africa.
Unfortunately, rhinos are critically endangered. The WWF defines ‘critically endangered’ as a species considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
Pride of PNG
It was now midday and the Hawaiian heat was becoming unbearable. Mulberry and I decided to leave. As we passed the bird section we saw a sign on a cage that read; ‘Raggiana Bird of Paradise (Paradisea raggiana).
I screamed to Mulberry, ‘that’s our bird.’ The bird instinctively heard our voices and started flying happily within its cage. It was like the bird was saying to us; ‘hey wantok. Thank you for coming to visit me.’
I must admit, that I almost burst out into tears when I saw our kumul in a foreign land. We were more than 6,000km from Port Moresby, but this bird made us feel at home. The Raggiana Bird of Paradise is an important seed disperser of PNG’s fruit trees, mahogany and nutmeg.
Raggiana males have a yellow crown, green throat, large flank plumes and a pair of long black tail feathers. Females usually lay one or two light pink eggs. Males eventually leave the nest, and females raise the young, feeding the chicks fruits and insects.
Conclusion
The visit to the Honolulu Zoo reinforced the importance of conservation. Continues poaching, environmental damage, over-exploitation, climate change will lead to extinction of the wildlife. This will create an imbalance in the ecosystem’s food chain.
PNG has its very own Port Moresby Nature Park which houses reptiles and an array of birds. It is important to visit such establishments to appreciate and learn about our wildlife.
Next edition: Waikiki Beach
