ZOO EXHIBITS

Timaru Herald, Volume CLV, Issue 22784, 7 January 1944, Page 3

ZOO EXHIBITS

Wartime Problems MAINTAINING VARIETY With little hope of major replacements and additions of stock until after the war, the Auckland Zoo authorities are finding difficulty in maintaining an attractive exhibition. Birds and animals were regularly acquired from America, the East Indies, Australia and elsewhere before the war, but only isolated consignments have since been received, none having been obtained from overseas for more than a year. The actual number of exhibits has been kept at a fairly high figure through low mortality and successful breeding. Even so a number of pens, cages and enclosures that were fully stocked several years ago are now either empty or sparsely occupied. However, the greatest problem has been to maintain the variety of exhibits. Since the war began single specimens of numerous types have died, principally from old age, and replacements have not been possible. To a very limited degree variety has been achieved through exchanges with the Wellington Zoo. Government regulations forbidding the importation of stock of certain types and from specific areas because of the danger of introducing disease have always prevented the zoo from assembling a representative selection of exhibits such as is possessed by similar parks overseas. The war has blocked other sources bf supply through the lack of overseas funds and, principally, shipping space. But for the shipping factor, exchanges of surplus stock could be made with zoos elsewhere. In spite of the difficulties the Auckland Zoo is fortunate in retaining good specimens of the larger wild animals which form the major attraction for visitors, particularly children. There are plenty of lions, tigers, leopards, pumas, hyenas, jaguars, bears and hippopotami. There is an elephant, a sea lion and a giant tortoise. And there are innumerable monkeys, large and small. But a number of other specimens, both animals and birds, which were centres of interest before the war have since died, and the exhibition has suffered accordingly. That the zoo is maintaining its popularity, however, is evident from admission figures, which for the current financial year are the highest for a long period. Many of the visitors in recent months have been Allied servicemen. some of whom have demonstrated a keen interest in the park by returning time and again.