Elephant herd plan under microscope

Asian elephant Burma now has a companion _ a horse named Cherry. Photo / Kellie Blizard

Auckland Zoo faces a grilling by a council committee over a $13 million plan to make a home for a herd of elephants.

The parks, recreation and heritage committee yesterday called for a report on the proposal out of frustration after hearing only one side of the story - from deputation leader April Glenday.

She said the project was wrong in terms of animal welfare and conservation, its cost for ratepayers and taking space from Western Springs Park.

Last August, a committee of the then Auckland City Council approved a plan to import a herd and acquire 22,000sq m of the park for it.

The zoo's 40-year-old elephant Kashin died in August 2009, leaving 28-year-old Burma the Asian elephant on her own.

In the meantime, the council was merged with other councils and Burma now has a horse called Cherry as a friend.

Mayor Len Brown also wants a 4.9 per cent rates rise, which led Ms Glenday to tell councillors yesterday: "Auckland cannot afford to fund or waste money on the elephant herd project."

Since the Super City was formed on November 1, the zoo has come under Regional Facilities Auckland, a new council-controlled organisation (CCO).

Committee chairwoman Sandra Coney assured councillors they would get a report and the chance to question officials.

It was better for councillors to consider whether to support the herd before the CCO spent a lot of money on a District Plan change to take over public park land.

Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse said councillors were "putting the elephants before the enclosure".

The new council did not know whether the herd proposal was just a germ of an idea.

She said she was grumpy about being set up for ridicule about the elephant idea when there was no budget provided or sought.

"I was brought up in South Africa and elephants belong in the wild as far as I'm concerned."

Mrs Hulse reminded councillors that any business case would have to be compelling; the council had already turned down funding requests from 10 regional amenities as well as the major museums.

Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA) chief executive John Brockies said it had picked up the proposal from the former council and a feasibility study was under way.

If the RFA board thought it had merit, it would go forward to the council, with a business case, for consideration through a budget proposal.