His fixated stare is more than a little disconcerting, and I wonder if he's sizing me up for dinner or just turning the tables, giving back a little of what he gets every day here at Christchurch's Orana Wildlife Park.
Taking in the abundance of wide-eyed children and laughing adults who stroll by the open-range enclosures, it's clear that gawking, inquisitive humans are the norm in these parts. "Grrrr!" says one boy to a tiger chewing on its lunch in the tall grass of its habitat; "So cute!" exclaims a middle-aged woman watching the affectionate display of a pair of lionesses who've wrapped their giant paws around each other in their sleep.Despite the fact we're in the South Island of New Zealand on a chilly autumn day, these exotic beasts that normally hail from the warm climes of Africa or Asia do not look out of place. There are no thick, steel prison bars caging the animals in, nor any tiny, concrete enclosures. Instead, the creatures roam through grassy fields and around trees in their stylised surroundings, nonchalantly giving the impression that they're here by choice.
As New Zealand's only open-range zoo and biggest conservation and wildlife park, Orana Wildlife Park is a largely un-zoo-like experience.
Leaving the zebra to his lunch my friend and I stroll along the gravel path, passing an unusual looking sable antelope who is sharing her field with a pair of wild paradise ducks. Next is an island of sleeping ring-tailed lemurs located so close to the path I'm tempted to jump over and cuddle the fluffy, wide-eyed creatures that are nestled in a large pile in their tree hut.
Much more exuberant are the always-entertaining spider monkeys. Clearly familiar with their ample grounds they jump and tumble around their grass island, climbing obstacles and shimmying their way across the rope bridge into trees. Flashing their bare bums at onlookers, the cheeky, gangly fur-balls do somersaults and roly-polys, antagonising and crashing into one another - loving their roles as masters of slapstick.At the otter house, a keeper hands large chunks of food to the sleek brown rodent-like creatures over the low perspex wall. Posing on hind legs, upon rocks, the otters nibble at the food in their front paws. Less than two metres away, children poke their heads over the top of the wall for an even clearer glimpse of these unfamiliar animals.
In the neighbouring enclosure the magnificent quills of Orana Wildlife Park's pair of porcupines have us reciting a line from a much-read childhood story:"I ran for home. I shouted, 'Mum!
Behold the prickles in my bum!'"
Long ago, these lines distilled in us the fear of a porcupine's weaponry. But while these long, sharp quills do look somewhat menacing in real life, the face and demeanour of the porcupines as they snuffle and shuffle towards their food is endearing. They seem like a comfortable elderly couple, which, in fact, they are. The 14-year-old female porcupine (Kidogo) and the 11-year-old male (Mandela) have been with the park for around a decade. In that time they have failed to reproduce, so another young female has recently been transferred from Wellington Zoo (and originally from Marwell Zoo in England) as part of the Australasian Species Management Programme.
Conservation efforts like this, involving the preservation of exotic and endangered species, are a key focus of the Orana Wildlife Trust - the charity organisation that operates both Orana Wildlife Park and the Southern Encounter Aquarium & Kiwi House. Internationally, the park is renowned for its breeding programmes for giraffes, white rhinos, cheetahs, scimitar-horned oryx and sable antelopes, whilst nationally the park contributes greatly to the preservation and conservation of species like kiwi, blue duck, brown teal, Antipodes Island parakeet, yellowhead and tuatara.Established in 1976, Orana Wildlife Park is run entirely on donations, grants and entry fees from visitors. Thanks to dedicated staff - including a raft of volunteer members - the quality of the animal experiences at Orana Wildlife Park remains incomparable to its zoo counterparts.
Unique encounters like hand feeding and stroking the stunning giraffes, meeting leathery southern white rhinos almost face-to-face and watching a cheetah reach top speeds make an Orana Wildlife Park visit forever-memorable. Throughout the day keepers also conduct public feedings of most animals - the pinnacle of which is the interactive Lion Encounter Ride. For a fee, visitors stand inside a wire cage that is rocked and shaken by the enormous hungry beasts as they grapple for the food passed out through the cage by a keeper!For those who'd prefer to leave with their wits intact, the farmyard experience, kiwi house and New Zealand bird aviary are peaceful - even calming - options, particularly popular with children. Families are extremely well-catered for at Orana Wildlife Park with picnic areas, barbecues, face-painting and an adventure playground. And if little legs don't want to walk the park's 80 hectares, there is the frequent zebra-print safari shuttle that circulates the grounds with a hop-on, hop-off system and an informative commentary.
As it trundles past the zebra enclosure I hear the driver's voice aboard the tractor-led shuttle: "These zebras have extremely good eyesight - excellent for seeking out their predators from long distances. Zebra's are grazing animals and mostly eat grass."
So I'm a threat? Not a delicious meal? As I wander away with those sharp black eyes watching, I'm not entirely convinced...
Amelia visited Orana Wildlife Park courtesy of the Orana Wildlife Trust.
Amelia is Content Editor for the New Zealand travel and tourism website www.fourcorners.co.nz.
