Orana Wildlife Park Snowfall Closes Park

zooboy28

zooboy28

Well-Known Member
Heavy snowfall closed Orana Park yesterday, but they opened this afternoon, allowing visitors to see many of the animals playing in the snow (including lemurs, spider monkeys, tigers, zebra and white rhino). There are some cool :D photos on the Park's facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Orana-Wildlife-Park/109829354688)

I don't know how common heavy snowfall in this area is, but I don't think they close Orana very often (at least for snow). Yesterday was the second coldest day on record for Christchurch, with a maximum temperature of 1.9 C.
 
heavy snow is not common at all in Christchurch - even the smallest amount brings the city to a standstill. However this week's fall is the biggest since the Big Snow of 1992 which was an unprecedented event (there was even a book published about it!). There were newspaper photos at the time of rhinos etc in the snow but I couldn't find any in a quick Google search.

The first time Orana was closed was when a rhino escaped in the late 80s/early 90s (can't remember the date and my records are boxed up at the moment), but its been closed a few times recently due to earthquakes etc. I can't remember if it closed in the 1992 snowfall (I seem to recall that it did but a few die-hard visitors still turned up regardless).
 
Chlidonias said:
heavy snow is not common at all in Christchurch - even the smallest amount brings the city to a standstill. However this week's fall is the biggest since the Big Snow of 1992 which was an unprecedented event (there was even a book published about it!). There were newspaper photos at the time of rhinos etc in the snow but I couldn't find any in a quick Google search.
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This reminds me of the Vicar of Dibley episode in which the characters discuss previous events to hit the town (big wind, great storm, etc) during a particularly stormy night, which ends when the power goes out and Frank says "this is just like the big eclipse of 1956." :D

Chlidonias said:
The first time Orana was closed was when a rhino escaped in the late 80s/early 90s (can't remember the date and my records are boxed up at the moment), but its been closed a few times recently due to earthquakes etc. I can't remember if it closed in the 1992 snowfall (I seem to recall that it did but a few die-hard visitors still turned up regardless).
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Yes, it has been closed a fair bit recently due to the quakes (and now for the 'icing on the quake' :D - not taking credit for that one). The only time I know Auckland Zoo closed was closed the day after Kashin died, and presumably when they had animals escape, but I'm don't know of any days they have been shut for weather. Taronga Zoo has only been closed twice ever: once in 1917 (for 2 months) and in 1988 for the Australian bicentenary.
 
zooboy28 said:
Zoo has only been closed twice ever: once in 1917 (for 2 months) and in 1988 for the Australian bicentenary.
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For the bicentenary, although the zoo was closed to anyone walking up to the zoo, there were still several thousand people at the zoo as ZooFriends, Sponsors and businesses could purchase tickets in advance for the day. So it wasn't really open, but it wasn't really closed either.

:p

Hix
 
You Southern Hemishpere'ers are making me jealous. We are experiencing one of the worst heat waves and drougts in recorded history in the part of the world where the toilets flush in the correct direction.
 
jbnbsn99 said:
You Southern Hemishpere'ers are ...
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The heat appears to have affected your speech ....

So just how hot is it over there?

:p

Hix
 
Orana is closed once more - and probably will be for around a week - due to a big snow storm which brought down a number of trees onto fences. Photo of a cheetah in the snow on the link.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/nbnat/449107772-Orana-Park-closed-after-snowfall
8 June 2012

Yesterday's southern snowfall has resulted in Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch being closed until further notice.

Staff members are hopeful of having the park open again by next Saturday the 16th of June - making the closure one of the longest in the park's 36 year history.

Chief Executive Lynn Anderson says the snow storm resulted in significant widespread damage, notably to the park's dangerous carnivore fences.

She says there's major damage to the Lion and Tiger fences - but adds the animals are completely secure within their buildings and will not be let into display exhibits until the damage is repaired.

Ms Anderson says unfortunately the snow is a further setback to the park, which is still trying to rebuild from the Christchurch earthquakes.
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Is snow becoming more common around Christchurch? Maybe they should look into making itself more snow proof so that it doesn't need to be closed every time it snows. Although, if this was such an unprecedented storm, I doubt much could be done to prevent trees coming down etc.


zooboy28 said:
Taronga Zoo has only been closed twice ever: once in 1917 (for 2 months) and in 1988 for the Australian bicentenary.
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In Melbourne Zoo's new 150 year anniversary book there is a bit about the fact that the zoo has only been closed for one day since it opened to the public due to a storm.
 
PAT said:
Is snow becoming more common around Christchurch? Maybe they should look into making itself more snow proof so that it doesn't need to be closed every time it snows. Although, if this was such an unprecedented storm, I doubt much could be done to prevent trees coming down etc.
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snow is definitely becoming more common. When I was growing up it never ever snowed in Chch that I can recall, and now there seems to be a fall every winter although it's almost always a very light sprinkling that often melts as soon as it hits the ground. Bigger snowfalls like the one the other day are still uncommon, but it does feel like they will become more regular.
 
jbnbsn99 said:
You Southern Hemishpere'ers are making me jealous. We are experiencing one of the worst heat waves and drougts in recorded history in the part of the world where the toilets flush in the correct direction.
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Our toilets flush downwards, if your's flush in another direction I would think you would have a very messy bathroom everytime you went. :D
 
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