Wellington Zoo
Historically, Wellington Zoo, which was founded in 1906, is New Zealand's oldest zoo. Its very first animal was a young lion. It is said that the zoo is "committed to a future in conservation education by bringing animals and people closer together".
According the zoo website, as at April 4, 2006, the zoo has 501 animals consisting of 105 species. There are no snakes because the government does not allow snakes to be imported (they might escape and become predators). The zoo does not have elephants or crocodiles, either. Wellington Zoo is hilly and too small for a group of five to six elephants. It is said that elephants prefer to walk on flat ground and live socially. How about crocodiles and alligators? Unfortunately, we can't find them there. The climate in Wellington is too cold for the cold-blooded creatures.
The most striking thing about Wellington Zoo is that it has only one kiwi, which has one leg. One of the legs was amputated because it was destroyed by a trap many years ago. (Note: Thanks a lot to an anonymous comment: "Actually, there are four kiwis at the Wellington Zoo. ..." When I went there, I saw the one-legged kiwi only, shown in a kind of a dimly-lighted room; the other three were then kept somewhere else.)
** BB
From various online sources
1 comment:
Actually, there are four kiwis at the Wellington Zoo. The one chosen to be shown to visitors is a one-legged kiwi called Tahi (a Maori word meaning "one"). This intentional choice is made to hopefully stir visitors' awareness of conservation and love for the wildlife.
Post a Comment