28 Jan 2023

Kevin Buley: Auckland Zoo turns 100

From Saturday Morning, 10:35 am on 28 January 2023

Auckland Zoo director Kevin Buley Photo: Adrian Malloch

Auckland Zoo's centenary is being marked by an exhibition and a book, 100 Years, 100 Stories, revealing how much the zoo's role has changed over that time.

Last year the zoo also opened their biggest development to date: the South East Asia Jungle Track, including a climate-controlled tropical dome, high canopy rainforest area and tropical swamp.

Today the zoo also works as an advocate for conservation and to help many native species from extinction. But what will it look like in another 100 years?

Director Kevin Buley has worked in the industry for nearly 25 years, including as head of zoo programmes at Chester Zoo, the UK's largest visitor attraction outside of London. He has been in roles at Auckland Zoo since 2010.

Ma Shwe, the nine-year-old Indian elephant at the Auckland Zoo, peering over the wall of her enclosure in 1974 (PHOTO: New Zealand Herald)

A postcard of Auckland Zoo (PHOTO: Averil Wallen Collection)

Seals on view at the Auckland Zoo circa 1950 (PHOTO: Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 895-A72889 Copyright: Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga)

The Kenna family at Pakuranga at the Auckland Zoo in 1968 (PHOTO: New Zealand Herald)

1979 A hippopotumus at Auckland Zoo 20 March (PHOTO: Paul Estcourt)

The new Indonesian swamp forest habitat within a large climate-controlled tropical dome (PHOTO: supplied)

A tiger aerial walkway in the new lowland habitat (PHOTO: supplied)

The South East Asia Jungle Track, the biggest project in the zoo's 100-year history, has a lake and wetlands, a lowlands habitat, high canopy primate habitat and a swamp forest habitat. (PHOTO: Supplied)

Auckland Zoo vet Dr James Chatterton with kakapo (PHOTO: supplied)

An otter in its new habitat (PHOTO: Supplied)

(PHOTO: supplied)