Frankton Zoological Gardens Frankton Zoo visit Nov 2012

[Chlidonias]

At the start of November I was passing through Queenstown en route to Milford Sound to finally see a Fiordland crested penguin (about time too!). The bus from the airport into town passed through a shopping centre at Frankton, right outside the airport, and was I ever surprised to see an official AA road sign at the roundabout saying "Zoological Gardens"!? It is certainly not an everyday occurrence to come across a zoo you've never heard of in New Zealand! I knew there used to be a deer park near Queenstown (I think the name was Deer Park Heights, from memory) and so I assumed that would be it.

After I had returned from Milford, I went early to the airport, checked in my bag, and then walked from there to what turned out to be called the Frankton Zoological Gardens, about twenty minutes distant. I wasn't expecting much (which was just as well) and indeed it basically consisted of a cluster of small aviaries, three ponies, a couple of kune-kune pigs, and an abundance of rabbits. It was quite pleasant though and the 88 year old owner was very friendly. He came out on his mobility scooter and drove around with me telling me what was in each aviary.

The collection was opened in 1965, so its been there a long time!! Prior to that it had been a cattery called "Pet's Haven", a name still on one of the entry signs. I sort of gathered it has always been aviaries with a few mammals such as possums and pigs. I asked what other animals he had had over the years and he mentioned a few rescue birds such as bittern and a harrier with one wing. Apparently he was the first person in New Zealand to be given a permit to keep domestic rabbits (at the current time he has California, lop, and Enderby Island rabbits).

The birds in the aviaries are common pet-shop parakeets, namely budgies, Indian ringnecks, Bourke's, turquoisines, red-rumps and cockatiels. Ground birds are Japanese quail, guineafowl, Indian peafowl, and ringneck, Reeves' and silver pheasants. There's also a dove-cote with domestic pigeons and a spotted dove.

I was told that the collection gets a lot of foreign tourists, which sounded surprising but when they come out of the airport in their rental cars they see the AA road-sign and head down. I imagine few of them find what they expected! It would be a nice place for families with small children though.

Couple of newspaper articles:
Zooperman - Queenstown News
Zoological gardens reopen as owner restored to health | Otago Daily Times Online News : Otago, South Island, New Zealand & International News


Photos in the gallery here: Frankton Zoological Gardens Gallery

 

[zooboy28]

Doesn't sound like the most exciting collection, and with the owner being 88 it doesn't seem likely it will be around very long. Would be worth a visit if they had a bittern though. Does have more pheasant specis than the four big zoos though.

What did they charge for admission?

Did you see the Fiordland Crested Penguin?

 

[Chlidonias]

mm, no, "exciting" isn't how I would describe the collection either. It's more the sort of place where you can take a little stroll and pass some time. Calling it a Zoological Garden is a bit of a stretch, although not entirely inaccurate either (it is zoological and it is in a garden). It costs $10 for adults and children are free. I know you will think $10 is too much zooboy, but really what else are you going to do with $10? Not a lot.

I doubt any injured native birds pass through their hands any more; I would suspect they would instead go to the Kiwi Birdlife Park in Queenstown itself.

Regarding pheasants, I don't know why the mainstream zoos don't show them more. I mean, they are very colourful, most are easy to get hold of and pretty cheap, they're easy to house, and you can keep other birds in with them. What's not to like? Ivan (the owner of Frankton) said they will be getting some golden pheasants as well soon. And I think that only leaves Himalayan monals, kalij, Swinhoe's and Lady Amherst's pheasants of the ones in NZ.

I did see a penguin at Milford Sound. It was pouring down and I was about the only person out on deck. The Homer Tunnel was being closed early due to the weather and slips, and so the boat tour was being shortened. I really thought I wasn't going to get a penguin, but literally five minutes before the boat got back to the wharf, I spotted one on the rocks. It wasn't announced so I assume the crew didn't see it, and I was the only one on board with binoculars anyway. I think I've mentioned it somewhere on here, but because I'm not going overseas this year I've been trying to pick up as many of the NZ birds that I haven't seen already. And to that end I have seen king shag out of Picton in February; blue duck at Arthur's Pass in May; brown bittern in Chch in July; NZ dotterel, kokako and little spotted kiwi on the Auckland trip in September; and now Fiordland crested penguin in November.

A couple of photos of Milford Sound attached below.

 

[zooboy28]

Well, I can think of a few things to do with $10, but I see your point. eek:TEN DOLLARS!)

Pheasants make great zoo exhibits - and its not like there is anything else here to replace them. And the vast majority of NZers won't ever see pheasants anywhere but zoos (bar wild Ringnecks). I've never seen a Kalij Pheasant in NZ, don't know of any zoos that hold them. Auckland Zoo is getting rid of all its pheasants, which I find extremely disappointing. I like pheasants .

Milford Sound looks cool, I've never been there, not even to Queenstown. Haven't seen a Fiordland Crested Penguin either, guess that will have to wait for my next trip to Taronga. Well done on the bird front, any more species to see this year? What native species are you missing?

 

[Chlidonias]

I've never seen a kalij in NZ either, but they are kept by private aviculturists. I think I've seen all the other gamebirds (including green peafowl, which aren't found here any more).

Milford Sound is cool. Very Middle Earthy. Of the land-birds that I'm missing there are a smattering of natives (most of which I've seen overseas already) and two introduced birds (galah and barbary dove; discounting feral guineafowl, peafowl and turkeys because they're just silly), but in terms of endemic land-birds the only ones I still need are kakapo (fat chance of that!), orange-fronted kakariki, great spotted kiwi and North Island brown kiwi. I should still have another chance at great spotted kiwi and maybe the kakariki this year. North Island brown kiwi is relatively easy up at Trounson but I don't know when I'll be in the North Island again.

 

[Chlidonias]

Well, I can think of a few things to do with $10, but I see your point. eek:TEN DOLLARS!)

in Queenstown a fish and scoop of chips will cost you $10, as will a burger. The Kiwi Birdlife Park in Queenstown is $38 for adult entry and has eleven aviaries and the kiwi houses.

 

[zooboy28]

in Queenstown a fish and scoop of chips will cost you $10, as will a burger. The Kiwi Birdlife Park in Queenstown is $38 for adult entry and has eleven aviaries and the kiwi houses.

THIRTY-EIGHT DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!

Thats tourist town prices I guess. Presumably you visited this establishment as well? Or did you just count the aviaries through your binoculars Any chance of a species list and general review?

 

[zooboy28]

I've never seen a kalij in NZ either, but they are kept by private aviculturists. I think I've seen all the other gamebirds (including green peafowl, which aren't found here any more).

Milford Sound is cool. Very Middle Earthy. Of the land-birds that I'm missing there are a smattering of natives (most of which I've seen overseas already) and two introduced birds (galah and barbary dove; discounting feral guineafowl, peafowl and turkeys because they're just silly), but in terms of endemic land-birds the only ones I still need are kakapo (fat chance of that!), orange-fronted kakariki, great spotted kiwi and North Island brown kiwi. I should still have another chance at great spotted kiwi and maybe the kakariki this year. North Island brown kiwi is relatively easy up at Trounson but I don't know when I'll be in the North Island again.

I think I have seen all other gamebirds in NZ (from Birds in NZ Zoos thread) except the Bobwhite Quail. But, thinking about it, I might have seen a Bobwhite, if the attached photo is one! I'm not sure. It was at Pouakai Zoo this year.

I'm so jealous of your endemic bird lists, I haven't seen any of the ones you are missing in the wild (I have heard wild NI Brown Kiwi) and not many others anyway. Seen feral turkeys though, near Alexandra

 

[Chlidonias]

I think I have seen all other gamebirds in NZ (from Birds in NZ Zoos thread) except the Bobwhite Quail. But, thinking about it, I might have seen a Bobwhite, if the attached photo is one! I'm not sure. It was at Pouakai Zoo this year.

I'm so jealous of your endemic bird lists, I haven't seen any of the ones you are missing in the wild (I have heard wild NI Brown Kiwi) and not many others anyway. Seen feral turkeys though, near Alexandra

I've seen all four of those endemics in captivity, and heard both the kiwi in the wild (heard great spotted kiwi probably a couple of dozen times actually, darn elusive critters!!).

The bird in the photo appears to be a Japanese quail.

 

[zooboy28]

I've seen all four of those endemics in captivity, and heard both the kiwi in the wild (heard great spotted kiwi probably a couple of dozen times actually, darn elusive critters!!).

The bird in the photo appears to be a Japanese quail.

I've seen them all in captivity too

Thanks for the ID, I had it down as Australian Brown. Where are Bobwhites found wild in NZ?

 

[Chlidonias]

Thanks for the ID, I had it down as Australian Brown. Where are Bobwhites found wild in NZ?

bobwhites never prospered in NZ. Supposedly they are still found round the Hawkes Bay and south of Auckland somewhere but I doubt there are any established wild populations left. They are however widely released for hunting, so they are occasionally seen living free (but as far as I'm concerned, they don't count as wild birds).

Same with red-legged partridge: introduced from England in the 1980s and very widely released throughout the North Island and parts of the South Island but they never took properly; however still released for hunting so can be seen about sometimes.

Grey partridge were established down in Southland for quite some time but eventually petered out and disappeared, probably by the 1970s. (I have these provisionally on the Birds In NZ Zoos list, but I've never heard of any here captive and I doubt there are any).

Chukar are common throughout the Southern Alps (most birders go to Mt. John by Lake Tekapo to see them).

Californian quail are everywhere. A very very successful introduction.

Australian brown quail were widely introduced in the 19th-20th centuries but only became established in the upper North island. They seem to be declining nowadays, apart for on Tiritiri Matangi where they are still very common and easily seen.

Ring-necked pheasants are over most of the country, but are rare in most of the South Island. They are well-established but also widely released for hunting.

Peafowl, chickens, guineafowl and turkeys are all found as feral populations but I don't count any of these. I'm really not sure how you'd rule out that they were just wandering domestic or farm birds. Lots of other gamebird-y type things were released by the Acclimatisation Societies around the country (things like grouse, stubble quail, brush turkeys, Australian bustards, etc etc) but no others succeeded.

 

[Chlidonias]

THIRTY-EIGHT DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!

Thats tourist town prices I guess. Presumably you visited this establishment as well? Or did you just count the aviaries through your binoculars Any chance of a species list and general review?

yep, $38, which by my reckoning makes it the second-most expensive animal collection in NZ (after Zion at $60) and makes even Kelly Tarltons look like good value for money.

I just put a species list here: http://www.zoochat.com/17/exotic-birds-new-zealand-202955/index4.html

Some photos here: Kiwi Birdlife Park Gallery

 

[Chlidonias]

the owner of the Frankton Zoo, Ivan Young, has died but his family is continuing to run the little collection and have been given another ten years on the property's lease (the following article is from last year).

Queenstown zoo gets okay for 10 more years