Auckland Zoo has completed its largest project yet, an Indonesian Swamp Forest, inside a 400 square metre climate-controlled dome.
It is the final part of a $62 million South East Asia Jungle Track project, full of fish, plants, and crocodiles.
The dome is maintained at 28 degrees and at 70-90 percent humidity all year round to mimic the tropical Indonesian climate.
It is home to thousands of fish and diverse plants, plus two 12-year-old Sunda gharial crocodiles Malu and Sumpit.
Richard Gibson is in charge of animal care and conservation, and for the past six years, he has been supervising the work to make the forest fit for the animals.
More than 100 different locally sourced plant species decorate the forest.
But the animals have come from all corners of the globe.
"Our two Sunda gharial, they were actually hatched in a crocodile zoo in Borneo, but 10 years ago they were moved to a zoo in Denmark and they've grown up there ever since. All the fish, they're all captive-bred fish, mostly from fish breeders in Singapore," Gibson said.
Fast-moving fish swim in the same tank as the crocodiles, while larger carnivorous dragon fish and tiger perch have their own tank.
Dragon fish at Auckland Zoo have their own tank. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Zoo
Smaller fish are kept in the aquarist room until they are big enough to be put in the 2000-litre aquarium.
Gibson said the construction of the dome was crucial in maintaining the swamp's environment.
"We've got a very special roof made of something called EFTE Plastic, that plastic is in two layers and it's inflated like bubbles, so it's very well insulated, like really thick double glazing," he said.
"The building is well supplied with radiators, which are subtly hidden around in the building, and you can see there's a ring floating in the middle of the dome, which we affectionately call the halo, that allows us to extend the photo period in the winter and give those full 12 hours of day length."
Auckland Zoo animal care and conservation head Richard Gibson supervising the work to make the Indonesian Swamp Forest area fit for the animals. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Zoo
When things need to be cooled down, flaps in the walls open to let hot air out and a rainfall system turns on in the afternoon.
The tank's water is controlled in what is called the life support room, which is full of pumps and filters that help to keep it sterile and maintain its heat.
Head of design and reconstruction Monica Lake said the swamp had been years in the making.
"It's really just a part of that entire ecosystem that's been created here in the Southeast Asia jungle, a master plan dream that began in the '90s and integrated experience of what they might feel and see when they're in Sumatra."
The swamp forest is the last piece of the puzzle adding to the lowlands area for Sumatran tigers and Asian small-clawed otters and the high canopy habit where orangutans and siamangs swing across 22-metre-high aerial pathways.
"It's connecting up those different experiences at different times of the air just like in the wild, tigers are different than otters, and otters are different than orangutana - each one of those has a habitat that reflects the environment that they've inhabited for millions of years," Lake said.
The exhibit is open to the public this Saturday.
Auckland Zoo's Indonesian Swamp Forest dome's temperature and humidity is maintained all year round to mimic the tropical Indonesian climate. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Zoo
