Wellington Zoo African Village opens at zoo

[Chlidonias]

from the 14 November
A taste of Africa at Wellington Zoo - national | Stuff.co.nz

Visitors to Wellington Zoo will now get a taste of Africa with the village officially opening today.

As in a real African village, chickens and goats will be able to roam freely around the huts, and the area will be used as an outdoor learning centre or to host events.

The village also has viewing platforms to peer into the savannah-like enclosure, where giraffes, nyala, black buck, guinea fowl and ostriches live.

Wellington Zoo chief executive Karen Fifield said visitor experience was a big focus when creating the village. "Our aim is to engage and immerse them in an environment similar to where our animals come from."

The village completed the African Unity project, which is part of the zoo's 10-year development plan. It cost $50,000, funded by a donation from the estate of sculptor Colin Webster-Watson.

 

[Ituri]

blackbuck?

 

[Chlidonias]

They do indeed have blackbuck in their African savannah exhibit. Last time I was at Wellington Zoo (early last year if memory serves me correctly) I was told by a girl at reception that blackbuck were going in there and I suggested maybe she meant bushbuck or some other African species, but no, blackbuck they are.

The probable reason is a simple lack of many African species in NZ