All Weather Amphitheatre for Wellington Zoo

Construction on Wellington Zoo’s new all-weather amphitheatre, which will replace the Zoo’s iconic large concrete steps, begins Monday 29 January, Zoo CEO Karen Fifield announced today.

“The amphitheatre will be situated in the middle of the Zoo, and will take up the space where the large steps and the old enclosures opposite – which were historically used to house big cats – are now. It is the first project of the Zoo’s 10 year capital development plan, supported by Wellington City Council.”

“We’re really excited about the amphitheatre and the opportunity it gives us to present our visitors with the chance to get up close to, and interact with, a variety of animals,” said Karen.

“Pub Charity has made a $500,000 donation towards the amphitheatre, which we are delighted about, and the rest of the funding comes from the Council’s commitment to the Zoo’s Capital development programme.”

“We’re trying to take every step to make the construction process as painless as possible for our visitors. We have tried to mitigate disruption and endeavoured to have as few animals off display as possible.”

“Initially, the golden lion tamarins will be off display during the week – they will be on display at weekends, but at this stage they are the only animals that won’t be on display as normal,” said Karen.

“The Zoo will be busy with lots of trucks and builders over the next couple of months during construction of the amphitheatre and the Mixed African exhibit. We ask Zoo visitors to bear with us as it will be fabulous once these innovative new facilities are in place.”

The Zoo’s amphitheatre will showcase learning and animal conservation, using interactive programmes such as free flight bird shows and other animal presentations. Construction on the amphitheatre is estimated to take approximately seven months.

ENDS

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