AUCKLAND ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18991, 12 October 1923, Page 4

AUCKLAND ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.

SHIPMENT OF ANIMALS. SIX POLAR BEARS OBTAINED. (Feoit Ocr Own Correspondent.) LONDON, August 30. More than one Auckland resident visiting England has been entrusted with the mission of buying suitable animals for the Auckland Zoological Gardens. As the result of Mr H. H. Ostler’s efforts quite a small circus was shipped by the Pakeha yesterday. Mr Ostler tried .the Manchester and the Edinburgh Zoological Society and a great many dealers, but found there were remarkably few animals to be bought except at exorbitant prices. Alancheater and Edinburgh had no duplicates and the present shipment includes all tho duplicates which the London Zoological Society had to spare. There are D pair of barberry sheep, a Grecian ibez, a Himilayan ibex, agoutis palm civets, green monkeys, a fox, and a mongoose. The cost of these animals is about £75. Mr Ostler has got in touch with the director of the National South African Zoological Gardens at Pretoria, and ho is reserving the remainder of the £SOO he is entrusted to spend for a collection of African animals. Mr Ostler, by the way, is leaving England next week for Central Africa on a big game hunt. The duty of looking after the animals will fall on the ship’s company, who have very full instructions concerning diet and treat ment generally. Alessrs T. H. Hamer and Co., who undertook to arrange for tho shipment, have also procured the food supply for tho voyage. The diet includes clover, crushed oafs, potatoes, apples, carrots, bananas, rice, biscuits, and meat. Air H. E. Valle is another Aucklander who has been on the trail of wild animals. His particular quest was tigers, but so far he has not been successful. Since he has been in England be has had a further request to obtain some polar bears, and upon the advice of Air Seth-Smith, of the London Zoological Society, ho consulted a well-known dealer, who found that some ycnlng ones had recently been caught in Norway. He has secured two males and four females for Auckland, and Alessrs Downie Bros., the Auckland City Council’s London agents, are arranging for the transportation of these puppies. As yet they have not reached England, but they are expected shortly. The Rev. Dr Pinfold, it will be recollected, is on a quest for a tiger for the Wellington Zoo, and it is hoped this may be secured from India. Tigers are scarce on this side.