3 July 2015
Hamilton Zoo has enjoyed a record year of visitor numbers with 128,519 visitors through the door in the last financial year.
The increase, from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015 is 7,254 higher than the previous year, and 4279 visitors higher than the previous record set in 2007/2008.
Zoo Director Stephen Standley says: “The six per cent growth is a great achievement, resulting from the rare opportunity to see tiger cubs at the zoo combined with our focus on improving the overall visitor experience. We want our visitors to have fun and enjoy their visit, having chosen to spend their time with us.”
“Hamilton Zoo has kept Sumatran tigers since 2001 and this is the first time we have bred this critically endangered sub-species,” Mr Standley says.
“The birth of the Sumatran tiger cubs, Kembali and Kirana, in November 2014 was planned as part of the international breeding programme for the species and it may be the last time we are asked to breed them for many more years. So it’s great to see people take the opportunity to see tiger cubs.” says Mr Standley.
Hamilton Zoo is currently building a new enclosure for its resident siamang gibbons where they will be free to exhibit their full range of natural behaviours in trees high above the zoo. The project is due to be completed in October.
The zoo will also welcome around 1000 extra students from low-decile schools through The Warehouse Zoofari, a programme designed to remove the transport barriers to the zoo for schools which don’t get funding for learning experiences outside the classroom. The first school visits as part of the initiative begin after the July school holidays.
Rated Hamilton’s second-best attraction behind Hamilton Gardens by Tripadvisor, Hamilton Zoo is New Zealand’s second biggest zoo, home to more than 600 native and exotic animals and set amid 25 hectares of lush and natural surroundings.
