Edited on 20 October 2017
New Zoo Opens Up!
Published on 19 May 2017
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Toka Zoo has opened up.
The zoo was originally founded as a menagerie in the royal palace by the Rangitanga at the time, two hundred years ago. After nearly a century of existence, the menagerie was opened up to the public. Ownership and responsibility for the zoo was taken up by the state nearly half a century later.
After another half century, the zoo is relocating. The zoo is moving to a facility a few miles out from La Rochelle. The site was an old farm that had become unprofitable, and was bought by a member of the royal family. He then sold the land to the state which began planning the facility in 2007.
Three years later construction began. Due to delays, the project has taken seven years to complete. It was funded by a combination of corporate sponsors, private donations and government cash. The zoo cost 413 million SHD (or 2.4 billion OAD) to build. The cost increased from the original 240 million SHD (1.68 billion OAD).
The project was heavily criticised and nearly led to Deborah Kaiwawai nearly quitting on the job. But the project managed to get off the ground again and was quickly completed. The state wanted to increase the number of specimens and the facilities that were available to do research.
The project has partnered with numerous companies and institutions in the fields of animal science, medicine and technology. This includes Cafe Net and the Science School of the Toka University, to promote research about different types of animals.
The site is almost a square kilometre in size. It features enclosures for over a hundred species of animals, entertainment such as restaurants and shops, and laboratories for research and a museum for display. It also features a cable car that gives aerial views of the facility and surrounding area.
The zoo uses green technology to cut emissions and cost such as waste water treatment, rain water collection, solar panels, digital communication and enclosure monitoring systems that will save millions of dollars every year.
The zoo was opened by the current Rangitanga, who praised the zoo and the ingenuity of its builders. The facility has received recognition for its modern and high tech facilities including awards from various societies and organisations in the sciences.
The zoo features 60 birds, 40 mammals, 50 reptiles and 30 amphibians. Birds include the eagles, hawks, owls, macaws, cassowary, moa, kiwi, ibis, swan, tropicbirds and flamingos. Mammals include lions, elephants, rhinos, bears, primates, buck and bats. Reptiles include chameleons, iguanas, crocodiles, snakes, lizards and tortoises. Amphibians include frogs, toads, salamanders and newts.
There are also 300 species of bugs such as ants, locust, cicada, beetles, spiders, scorpions, worms, roaches, stick bugs, vees, wasps and hornets. There are 100 types of marine life such as sharks, dolphins, seals, tuna, catfish, salmon, pufferfish, lungfish, crayfish, angelfish, eels and coral.
There are also 1,000 types of plants. There are trees such as oaks, mahogany, teak, ebony, pine, fir, kauri, yellowwood, ironwood, fever, tree ferns, cycads, palms and redwoods. There are cacti, succulent plants, fynbos, herbaceous plants, carnivorous plants, orchids, creeps and lilies.
There are other attractions such as restaurants that represent cuisine from almost every continent, offering panoramic views, petting zoo, horse riding, carriages, cable cars, golf carts and a tram. The site also has a DNA storage site with over 40,000 samples and over 100,000 seed samples. The site also has an electronmicroscope, gene splicer and a computer with a database of 1 million animals and plants.
The site also has a library with 7,000 books and every copy of every scientific journal ever published in Aurora and a museum with 3,000 specimens of bones, mutated and preserved organisms, and so on.
The facility is open from Wednesday to Sunday, and tickets cost 12 SHD (84 OAD) for adults and is free for pensioners and kids. Bulk trips are more affordable. The site is mostly funded by the state and aid from the royal family, excluding commercial amenities.
[spoiler][s]The Oan National Parks System is a system of botanical and zoological gardens and nature reservations that aim to study, showcase and conserve exotic and indigenous plants, fungae and animals. The system is run by the Nature Department of the National Science Council of the Oan Isles, which is responsible for carrying out Oan policy objectives and treaty obligations in terms of science and technology. The Oan National Parks Systemâs largest project has been the 12 billion dollar La Rochelle Zoo.
The La Rochelle Zoo originally existed as a menagerie in the Serene Palace, founded in 1870. In 1880, the menagerie was opened to the public. Demand was very high. The menagerie moved to a larger park in 1890, where it remained for 110 years. The Oan government wanted to significantly expand the quantity and diversity of the facility and upgrade its research facilities. There was insufficient land in the La Rochelle city proper to expand the facility. Aia Salua announced at multibillion dollar project to build an artificial island 20 kilometres from the Rock Island, where La Rochelle is located that has an area of 50 square kilometres. The area was originally an atoll.
Construction started in 2010. Millions of litres of sand were poured in, imported from our Auroran neighbours. The island eventually developed. Due to unplanned costs, the budget of creating the zoo, quadrupled to four billion dollars. Aia Salua faced massive criticism and had come close to resigning. Through shear determination (or stubborness, itâs hard to tell which), the four billion dollar zoo was completed in late 2016. Its opening was delayed by several months due to Operation Conquer Gondwana. The Zooâs opening ceremony will be held later today, with prestigious guests such as the Defender, His Serene Majesty Ese Ulua and the National Council, it will be spectacular indeed. The animals that will be on display will be even more spectacular and the discoveries that will be made will shape environmental conservation and biological sciences for decades to come.
A direct train line from La Rochelle to the La Rochelle Zoo offers the only access to the island except by boat, which is exclusive to staff and authorised personnel. The massive Natural History Museum offers a journey of the evolution of animal life in the Aurora-Pacific area. The massive Natural Research Center features laboratories and sites that allow scientist the room and means to interact with and study the life that exist here. The Leviathan Aquarium is a massive aquarium housing fresh water fish in massive glass tubes on the actual island. The water surrounding the island has been blocked by a massive underground wall two kilometres from the island. Glass tunnels allow patrons to explore this underwater area and its bizarre and exciting inhabitants. The actual zoo is mindblowing. There are a variety of wild animals to treat each visitor to the zoo.
Dragonhawks that were offered to His Serene Majesty as a gift from the Grand Duke of Dragonia were successfully bred and are permanently exhibited at the zoo. The Katuna is an Oan big cat, with a tawny colour palette and rosettes is a resident here as well. The tapir-like tapa and the Spix macaw find their home under and in the canopies of massive trees. The Shuashushuian, a bird of paradise whose feathers have refractive qualities makes it seem to change colour as it dances in the trees of the zoo. The delightful petting zoo with livestock and llama, camels and capybara, entertain the kids. The last known blue member of the Panthera genus, the Panthera katunidus lazuli is being bred here. More animals are on view in this massive complex.[/s][/spoiler]