On Saturday, April 8, the infamous Forsyth Barr Zoo saw a historically low turnout for the Highlanders clash against the Hurricanes. This comes after a general downward trend of Zoo attendance that’s been made starkly apparent this year.
Though the Zoo’s capacity of 4,500 hasn’t been met in a while, the reported attendance of 200 people on April 8 pales in comparison to the average 500 earlier in the year, and is absolutely dwarfed by the attendance rates of prior years.
The stifled roar of the crowd has not gone unnoticed. Die-hard rugby fans have wondered hopelessly where the atmosphere of the famed Zoo has gone. Weeks before the wretched day of April 8, Critic Te Ārohi received a letter from Leo condemning students for their “disservice to the team and the Zoo.”
Not only did Leo point out the obvious lack of numbers within the stands, he also commented on the atmosphere within the arena: “We have people sitting down and providing little support to players.” Similar sentiments were heard by Critic Te Ārohi’s video team as they filmed during the carnage. Comments such as “no one’s standing” and “the Zoo’s so fucking shit now” met the innocent ears of our staff who were merely looking for silly crowd hijinks.
The game was a tipping point for one breatha, Charlie, who posted on the CASTLE23 Facebook page the simple question: “What the fuck happened to the Zoo this year #pussy’s #uncultured.” However crudely put, Charlie’s outcry was met with a whopping 56 reactions from a usually unresponsive CASTLE23 audience.
Charlie’s statement was poetic enough to warrant an interview, so Critic pinned down the figure in the hopes of unveiling what he thought could be done to help fix the Zoo. Speaking from the heart, Charlie said, “Basically the crowd there was appalling. You would turn around and look at everyone around you and realise almost everyone was sitting down. Just very upsetting how quiet the Zoo has become over the recent years.”
Charlie’s statements seem to suggest the Zoo’s apparent death has come at the hands of an apathetic support base. Another student, Patrick, suggested a different reason for the Zoo’s recent fall from grace, saying the low turnout could be “because everyone was away on break.” Good point Patrick.
Mulling the issue over further, Patrick added, “The Highlanders are pretty shit this season though.” Much to the chagrin of patriotic fans, Patrick may have a point. The ‘Landers came out the gate this season with three straight losses with somewhat embarrassing score lines to match.
But is it really about rugby? Critic Te Ārohi’s video team can attest to the fact that, while there is passion, love, and anger strewn within the hallowed stands of the zoo, there certainly isn’t an exorbitant amount of rugby chatter. So what is it that makes the Zoo worth fighting for? According to one student, Thomas, it’s about “cheering and supporting among the other students who are generally doing the same thing.” An ex-student of the university, added, “People up North watch the Zoo on the TV and they can feel the atmosphere from their living rooms.”
While much of the Zoo’s atmosphere can be placed on the shoulders of an unflinching student army, another facet of its atmosphere is the history of the stand. Effectively serving as a continuation of the ‘terraces’ at the old Carisbrook stadium which were infamous for housing only the rowdiest Dunedinites, the proletariat ethos came readily installed in the set up of the Zoo. Game day tickets could be purchased for $12.50 a pop when the stand first opened, and a variety of acts and music sets were installed to entertain the swathes of incoming students. Since 2012, the Zoo has borne witness to insidious marketing ploys, truckloads of vomit, and even a couple cheeky (literal) shits.
The culture embedded in the history of the Zoo is what every student yearns for, what every student desires to become a part of. It is this yearning that can be found in Charlie’s CASTLE23 post and has kept the Zoo enshrined in the Otago student identity for 11 years.
The truth behind the Zoo’s recent lackluster attendance may yet be a mystery, but the student spirit, which fell in love with the Zoo all those years ago, still lingers. Next time there’s a game at the stadium, think about heading along for this slice of the Otago student experience pie. Doing so is the only way that the narrative changes from “the Zoo is so shit” to “how good are the ‘Landers?” And isn’t that really the only yarn worth spinning?