Willowbank Wildlife Reserve facts for kids
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| Location | Christchurch, New Zealand |
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| Coordinates | 43°27′46″S 172°35′39″E / 43.46278°S 172.59417°E |
| Annual visitors | 120,000+ |
Willowbank Wildlife Reserve is a special place in Christchurch, New Zealand. It's a wildlife park and a nature reserve. This means it's a home for many animals, and it also helps protect them.
Willowbank lets you see many different animals up close. But it also does important work to save native New Zealand species. These include amazing creatures like the tuatara (an ancient reptile), the famous kiwi bird, the brown teal duck, and the Duvaucel's gecko. It's also the only place in the South Island (outside of a special government facility) where you can see a pair of rare takahē birds.
Contents
What You Can See at Willowbank
Willowbank is home to 95 different kinds of animals! They are grouped into three main areas for you to explore:
- Exotics
- Heritage Farmyard
- New Zealand Natives
Animals from Around the World (Exotics)
The exotics section has animals from all over the world. You can see colorful birds like blue and gold macaws and scarlet macaws. There are also interesting mammals like capybaras (the world's largest rodents), tiny small-clawed otters, and playful ring-tailed lemurs. You might even spot a black-and-white ruffed lemur or ancient-looking star tortoisees and leopard tortoisees. Don't forget the cool green iguanas!
Old Farm Animals (Heritage Farmyard)
The heritage farmyard section is like a living museum of farm animals. Willowbank works with the Rare Breeds Conservation Society. They help protect and breed types of farm animals that are becoming very rare. This includes unique animals like Arapawa goats, Damara sheep, Enderby Island rabbits, and even small zebu cattle. It's a way to make sure these special breeds don't disappear.
New Zealand's Own Animals (New Zealand Natives)
The New Zealand natives section is all about the amazing animals that call New Zealand home. Here you can see clever birds like keas and kakas. You'll also find different types of kiwi birds, including the North Island brown kiwi, South Island brown kiwi, Okarito brown kiwi, and the great spotted kiwi. Look out for the morepork owl and the fast New Zealand falcon. And, of course, you can see the incredible tuatara, which is often called a "living fossil."
Willowbank also helps other groups that work to protect wildlife. They support organizations like the New Zealand Conservation Trust and The South Island Wildlife Hospital.
How Willowbank Started
Willowbank Wildlife Reserve first opened its doors to visitors in October 1974. It has been a popular place for people to learn about animals ever since!
