Nearly 100 years old - the oldest zoo in New Zealand
Wellington Zoo was founded in April 1906 when a young lion was presented to Wellington City by the Bostok and Wombwell Circus. The lion, named 'King Dick', after Prime Minister Richard Seddon, who had died that year, was initially housed at Wellington's Botanic Gardens along with a small collection of animals. In 1907 the City Council developed a part of Newtown Park into New Zealand's first zoo. The Zoo grew rapidly, and by 1912 around 500 animals were housed in cages, aviaries and a huge sea lion pool.
