Happy 50th to Orana Park!

At the end of September, Orana Wildlife Park celebrated its 50^th birthday.

It started as an idea first officially floated in 1970 by the then newly formed South Island Zoological Society with initial hopes to have the zoo located in Bexley on reclaimed rubbish tip land. Whereas an earlier suggestion from University of Canterbury Zoology professor, G. A. Knox recommended Victoria Park or "the old rifle range at Redcliffs" as possible sites.

As it turns out none of these suggestions for location stuck but the idea of the zoo definitely did.

Opened in its McLeans Island location in 1976, the park was well known for its "drive-thru" lion enclosure, which operated from opening up to 1995. Though I'm sure I was driven through this attraction at least once as a kid I have no memories of it so it's safe to say there were no close up large cat interactions on the day like the one pictured below. 

The list of 'SAFARI INSTRUCTIONS' on how to behave in said enclosure is pretty full on and reflective of the power of these imposing animals (and possibly the stupidity of people - if you have to be told not to leave your car in the presence of a predator species perhaps you deserve whatever spot you subsequently find yourself in on the food chain).

 

What I do remember is discovering the power of... a hungry giraffe's tongue. Gripping hard to a leafy stick while a long and dextrous giraffe tongue attempts to yank it out of your hands being another formative Orana Park experience, albeit one with less of the frisson of danger about it (and perhaps that's why giraffe feeding remains on the Orana Park menu).

 

Initially the park's drawcards were its African animals - the park's logo at opening featured a zebra - but a variety of animals and attractions have been added to the park over the years.

 

A Primate Island and small lake were constructed to accommodate spider monkeys in 1978. In 1982 giraffe couple, Jaffa and Celeste arrived, and eventually a daughter, Sarita, joined them in 1987. The park opened the South Island's first Kiwi enclosure in 1984, and endangered White Rhinos joined the menagerie in 1986. The native bird aviary opened in 1994, and various other species have come to call the park home since then including Meercats, Otters, and Gorillas. In many cases providing Christchurch locals and visitors with an opportunity to observe animal species they would otherwise never get to see.

 

Today, Orana Wildlife Park is New Zealand's only open-range zoo and is managed by the charitable Orana Wildlife Trust. Through conservation breeding, education, and animal care, the park continues to play an important role in protecting wildlife for future generations.

 

Orana Park adjacent facts that I did not know and maybe you didn't either!

• For many years I incorrectly assumed that the name "Orana" was African in origin in line with the animals the park housed. In fact, this name comes from the Māori verb "ora" which has meanings including to be healthy, to survive, and to recover. Fitting for a wildlife sanctuary (I'm not sure why the name is "Orana" and do wonder if this might be an alternative spelling of "oranga" which is the noun form of the root word - if anyone knows definitively do get in touch!)
• The large Kiwi sculpture which was originally part of a rooftop advertisement for Kiwi Bacon and now sits next to the Kiwi House has a name and it's Claude! (He was named after the company that built him, Claude Neon Signs)
• McLeans Island is called such because it used to be one! Originally an island in the Waimakariri River, the south river branch separating this land from the riverbank was filled in in the 1930s but we still call it an island for some reason.

Do you have photos of Orana Wildlife Park to share?

This month’s Photo Hunt is the perfect time to dust off your old photos of the park and its inhabitants. The teams at our Media Conversion Stations at Fendalton Library, Matatiki Hornby Centre and Tūranga will be happy to help you scan them. We’d love to receive images from the 80s and 90s (those old photos will be starting to fade!), photos of special occasions at the park, and your memories of the 50^th celebration itself.

Got images that are already in digital format? Submit them via our online entry form.

More about Orana Wildlife Park

Canterbury Stories

• Orana Wildlife Park: Fifty Years on 
• Legends of Orana exhibition panels Significant milestones of the park's history
• Orana Wildlife Park Then & Now exhibition panels Created for Orana Wildlife Park to celebrate their 50th Anniversary
• All Orana Wildlife Park images

Other info

• Orana Wildlife Park website
• Orana Wildlife Park Wikipedia