THE ARAMOHO ZOO.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10232, 15 August 1911, Page 1

THE ARAMOHO ZOO.

PURCHASED FOR. CHKISTCHC BCH {From Our Correspondent.]

AUCKLAND, August 14. It appears that after all Qnehunga is not to have a zoo. The proprietor, M - Boyd, has just received an offer from the management of Professor Bickerton's Wainoni Park.' Christchurch, and goes south to-night to make hnal arrangements before transferring the larger animals there. He states that he has received so much opposition from the Health Department and the Onelmnga Borough Council that lie does not consider it advisable to keep other than small animals in the grounds lie recently acquired close, to the Roval Oak.

Dr Makgill, District Health Officer, told a reporter this morning that the conditions imposed by the Health Department regarding the Onehunga zoo were quite moderate 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 oi' good timber and \rell arranges! from a. sanitary point of view. The quantity of food generally to be found on tho floors of tho cages was a great attraction to rats, and the Department wished to have the buildings as ratproof as possible. The soo itself was in a good residential district and precautions had to be taken to prevent a nuisance beinsj created. It bad been stipulated that the cages of the larger and possibly more offensive animals should be at least 3-' ft from the boundary, as was the rule with fowlhouses. They had also asked that a proper soakage drain should be 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 more 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 unreasonable.