| 3 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Auckland Zoo Rachel Graham Enhancing the wildlife connection Aerial bridges are part of Auckland Zoo’s new South East Asia Jungle Track. Aquatic & Environmental Landscape Specialist 027 347 8338 | darin@aquaenvirons.com www.aquaenvirons.com Fabric Structures is a leader in creative fabric engineering. CONTACT US CALL +64 (09) 303 4373 | EMAIL INFO@FABRICSTRUCTURE.CO.NZ TENSILE METAL MESH INTERIORS FACADES @ Mark Scowen Photography BRINGING NEW ZEALAND’S ICONIC LANDSCAPES TO LIFE SRS Group is NZ's first dedicated, and leading supplier of architectural rigging, tensile mesh, and bespoke fabrication solutions. With over 50 years' combined experience, we work closely with key players in the construction industry to deliver end-to-end solutions across the civil, commercial, and high-end residential markets. Our custom fabrication team with their specialist riggers fabricated the Boardwalk with X-Tend mesh infill at Auckland Zoo on top of multiple rigging and fabrication projects for the Tigers, Otters, Orangutans and more! SRS Group NZ Ltd Unit F, 2 Rothwell Ave, Rosedale Auckland 0632 T: 09 953 0599 | E: info@srsgroup.co.nz | W: www.srsgroup.co.nz 2/31 Victoria St, Onehunga • PO Box 13-914 Onehunga P (09) 636 6385 M (027) 472 0473 E greg@citysiteworks.co.nz Proud to Support Auckland Zoo In Auckland Zoo’s new South East Asia Jungle Track visitors can come eye to eye with one of the world’s largest crocodilians, see Sumatran tigers swimming, or walking on bridges above them and experience orangutans and siamangs swinging across an expansive network of 25-metre-high aerial pathways. Zoo Director, Kevin Buley, says what he really wants is to give people a sense of hope for the future in difficult times. “Our mission is to bring people together to build a future for wildlife. That’s our wildlife conservation mission. “One of the most important things we do as a conservation organisation is to provide a venue where people can come together, connect with wildlife, and feel that sense of hope for the future.” In December the zoo celebrates its centenary, and Kevin says it’s a great time to ensure the habitats meet the needs of animals in a good modern zoo. “In order to really deliver on our mission, we need to create habitats that not only meet animals’ welfare needs, but give them lives that in many ways are better than their counterparts in the wild,” says Kevin. “We also need to deliver an experience for our visitors that enables that connection to happen. That’s really what the new track is about. It’s about providing incredible habitats for our orangutans, siamangs, tigers, otters, the new Sunda gharial crocodiles and thousands of fish. And it’s about ensuring our visitors connect with the animals in a way that hopefully in the long run helps to make a difference.” Head of Zoo Environment, Design and Conservation, Monica Lake, says one goal was to ensure that the new habitats provided the kind of spaces animals would be comfortable in. Within the lowlands habitat (for tigers and otters), the tigers have three distinct areas. These feature different terrains and microclimates, including elevated ridges, a pool and beach, and bush areas and outdoor dens to provide shade and to hide and snooze in, and vitally, the opportunity to be up high “Apex predators like big cats like to look out and down over their environment,” says Monica. “So, with the bridges the tigers can go to a location where they’re actually looking down on people, rather than people looking down on them.” Head of Animal Care and Conservation, Richard Gibson, says his favourite habitat is the Indonesian swamp forest – created within a large transparent climate-controlled tropical dome. It’s home to the crocodiles and a rich diversity of fish species. “It’s a totally immersive experience,” says Richard, “and the detail we’ve gone to, in terms of creating an authentic natural habitat, I’ve never seen anything like it virtually anywhere in the world. You will be hit by 28 degrees, by 80 percent humidity, it’ll smell humid and rich like a forest, with the sounds of the forest all around you. And if you stand there long enough it’ll rain on you.” Visitors will experience soft lush tropical greenness in every direction - there are over 100 flora species, and thousands of individual plants. Two-metre-high windows into the swamp forest’s three large pools and connecting beach areas offer spectacular views of thousands of fish and the Sunda gharial crocodiles. The project has been realised after decades of planning and nearly five years of construction. Funded through Auckland Council’s longterm plan, it cost $62m, and Kevin Buley says without the council’s support the work would never have happened. The construction work was done by NZ Strong, and project manager Garyth Jones says working on a site with animals like orangutans keeping watch has been an amazing experience. He says there was more involvement with the clients and stakeholders than on some other projects, with the Zoo’s specialist staff making tweaks as they went along to ensure the project met the needs of the animals.
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