Auckland Zoo (Māori: Te Whare Kararehe o Tāmaki Makaurau) is a 16.35-hectare (40-acre) not-for-profit wildlife conservation organisation that focuses on the wellbeing of people, wildlife and nature.
This lush and immersive zoo is located in Auckland, New Zealand, situated next to Te Waiōrea Western Springs Park not far from Auckland's central business district. It is part of a charitable trust and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (an Auckland Council-controlled organisation).
Auckland Zoo opened in 1922 and by 1930 a sizeable collection of animals arrived and a zoological society formed. The zoo consolidated during the Second World War and was at that time under the leadership of Lt. Col. Sawer. After the war the collection was expanded. In 1956, chimpanzees from London Zoo arrived to take part in popular 'tea parties' for the public's entertainment - which was part of a global trend in zoos at the time. Due to changing attitudes and an evolving zoo philosophy, this practice ceased in 1963. In 1973 the zoo expanded into the adjacent Te Waiōrea Western Springs Park. From the late 1980s to the present day, many old exhibits were phased out and replaced by modern enclosures. In 2011 the zoo opened its largest development, Te Wao Nui, which is home to a host of native New Zealand flora and fauna.
The zoo has five separate tracks which are loosely separated into areas defined by the region of origin of the species exhibited, its taxonomy, or by biome. Zoo staff are active in conservation fieldwork (in New Zealand, French Polynesia and the Pacific Islands), which includes species monitoring, research and education. The New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine (NZCCM) houses the Auckland Zoo veterinary hospital, where sick and injured wildlife from around New Zealand are treated with the aim to be rehabilitated and released.
