Wellington Zoo Memorial Plaque

2006

Weta has enjoyed a long relationship with the Wellington Zoo spanning over 20 years. Richard first started visiting in 1985, to paint and draw the animals. Richard and Peter Jackson later called on the Zoo to film scenes from one of Peter's first feature films, Braindead. Peter later returned to sample animal noises for King Kong. After the King Kong shoot wrapped up, some of the Weta team offered to help out with the Zoo's 'Ape Week'.

Earlier this year, Wellington Zoo approached Weta to create an installation to mark both the opening of the new chimp facility and also as a tribute to long serving Keeper Frank Coles, who has recently retired after serving in the position for 52 years. Frank has enjoyed a special relationship with the chimps and as a new home is built for the animals, it seemed appropriate to mark his leaving with a special plaque.

'We are lucky to have Weta as a really good friend, they seem to have a real love for what we do here at the Zoo', explains the Zoo's Marketing Manager Beth Houston.

The current chimp night quarters have been the home of chimpanzees at Wellington Zoo since the first chimps arrived in 1956. The chimps lived in the indoor block until an outdoor park was opened in 1991. The new chimp block has a large indoor area which provides a warm environment for the animals in the colder months. The new block has a day room, two night quarters, two hospital wards as well as fantastic views across Wellington city.