Bombay

A selection of furry friends, including lions Ruby and Jade, are all part of the package. Picture / Geoff Dale

A house on Mark Vette's property offers an animal lover the rare chance to live on their own zoo.

Mark Vette is one vendor who's going to be fussy about who he sells to. It's not just his property he's putting on the market, but the ongoing welfare of 150 friends who live there.

The animal psychologist, trainer and star of the Funny Farm TV show is selling his rescue zoo in Bombay, just south of Auckland.

"We took this place on out of a love for animals," says Mark, "and really want to see that in the new owner. We've built up the business so that it pays for its staff and allows better environments for the animals, and hope the zoo will continue with a similar kind of mission statement."

The zoo was set up 35 years ago by a man with circus connections. He took in redundant animal performers and gradually built up a broad exotic collection. But as he became older and more ill he could not maintain the zoo to the standard he wanted to, and in 2003 sold it to Mark and his partner, Rosie Miles.

Since then the couple have set up a thriving business, which they hope to continue once they've handed over ownership. The zoo is open to the public, including tourist buses and school parties, and shows are staged each weekend starring some of the birds and animals Mark has trained for films and TV commercials. Hercules, otherwise known as the "bugger" dog on a TV ad, had top billing until his death last year.

Mark and Rosie still train animals for movies and TV on site. They built a dedicated building to quarantine and train 10 wolves for the movie The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe last year. Mark also runs his animal behaviour clinic from another building on the property, where worried cat and dog owners can bring pets that might have psychological problems.

All this helps pay for the running of the zoo, including the wages of two full-time and two part-time zookeepers.

"Our manager is a former zookeeper from Wellington zoo, and all the staff are happy to stay on if the new owner would like them to," says Mark.

A junior zookeeper programme brings in extra pairs of hands at weekends and school holidays. Five or six students aged from about 10-15 come in for some hands-on experience in caring for animals, such as preparing food and tending their enclosures.

The brick and tile house on site has been used as offices, but Mark is in the process of moving this function elsewhere. The house is basic and requires work, but offers a rare chance to live on a zoo. Even some of the blemishes have a story behind them.

"The peeled wallpaper in the lounge wasn't our attempt at redecorating," explains Rosie. "It was done by Jungle, our hand-reared monkey, who got a bit jumpy one day."

The couple are selling the zoo due to the demands of their film and TV work. Big projects such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, for which they also trained horses (as unicorns and centaurs), mice (to chew ropes) and dogs, can take up most of their time for the best part of a year.

"Most of that work is in West Auckland, and trying to run the zoo remotely takes its toll," says Mark.

They have plans to hand over to the new owner, including a model of a new otter enclosure designed by Kim Jarrett, who helped design the winning New Zealand garden at the Chelsea Flower Show last year. It includes a hill, waterfall and pool with a glass side through which visitors can watch the otters swim.

There are also plans for a new entrance and shop.

"So things are in place for the new owner to take the zoo to the next stage," says Mark. "He or she could also continue to build up the collection. With a zoo license you can also bring in almost any animal you want."

ADDRESS: Whangarata Zoo, 83 Ridge Rd, Bombay.

FEATURES: Four-bedroom, one-bathroom house with office; 14 outbuildings; enclosures housing more than 150 animals and birds, including five species of monkey, one female zebra, two female lions, one male otter, one male serval, llamas, emus, miniature horses, donkeys, wallabies, swans and ducks.

LAND AREA: 3.2 ha (8 acres).

PRICE: $850,000.

AGENT: Debbie Young, Harcourts. Ph 021 646 131 mob.