THE ONEHUNGA ZOO.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 192, 14 August 1911, Page 6

THE ONEHUNGA ZOO.

LARGE ANIMALS NOT COMING HERE. "—*' LOCAL OPPOSITION. It appears that, after all, Onchunga is not to have a Zoo. The proprietor, Sir. Uoy<l, lias just received an olVer from the management of Professor Bickcrton's Ua.nuhi I'ark, t'hristcuurch, and goes South to-night lo make final arrangements before pansierring the largur animals tiiilher. ile states that he has received so much opposition from the Health Department and. the Onchunga Borough Council, that he does not consider it advisable to keep other than small animals in the he recently acquired close lo the Royal Oak. Dr. Makgill, District Health Officer, told a "Star " reporter this morning that the conditions imposed by the Ilealth Department re.crardinjr the Onchunga Zoo were quite and perfectly reasonable. No objection had been made to the site chosen, and they had merely asked that the buildings, cages, etc., should be properly constructed of {rood timber, and well arranged from a sanitary point of view. The quantity of food generally to be found on the floors of the cages was a great attraction to rats, and the Department wished to have the buildings as ratproof as possible. The zoo site waa in a good residential district, and precautions had to be taken to prevent a nuisance being created. It had been stipulated that the eagre of the larger and possibly more ofTonsi-re animals should be at least 14ft from the boundary, as was the rule with fowlhouses. They had also that a proper soakagc drain lie, laid down until such time as connection with a sewer could be made. Mr. Boyd, however, was unwilling to meet them, and appeared to wish to erect buildings of a moro temporary and cheaper character, hence the disagreement If the zoo had been at a greater distance from human habitations the requirements would have been somewhat less stringent, but under the circumstances they were not :n----reasonable. Mr. A. G- Banlcart. one of the Cornwall Park, trustees, said thnt the trustees had not been approached by Mr. Boyd in reference fn the establishment of a zoo in the park. When the park was fnrnrvf an area of 20 acres had been srd aside for a zoo. in accordance with Sir John Campbell's wish. They did not. however, intend to allow any outside party to place animals there, but hoped later on to purchase animals themselves. At the present sta*re they bad no wish to purchase \fjr. Boyd's animals, even if he would agree to sell them.