works being approved. In Sawer's March 1949 report, the details of the animals were given as 165 mammals in 51 species, 329 birds in 98 species and 19 reptiles in 8 species. An aquarium was built, on a smaller scale than Sawer had anticipated, but successful nevertheless. The zoo had also finally won the right to exhibit kiwis, partly due to New Zealand soldiers becoming known as Kiwis during the war. A curator's house, offices and laboratory were constructed in 1949. In late 1948 the council called for the first animal entertainments which Sawer strongly opposed, however Sawer was now approaching 70 years of age and his career was drawing to an end. Sawer recommended a full-time on-site curator and veterinarian and started to look for a successor. "Sawer's retirement marked the end of a remarkable era. Despite considerable adversity, the Colonel had managed to keep the zoo operational and in better condition than anyone could reasonably have expected. But if Sawer had seemed ahead of his time in wanting the zoo to be seen primarily as an educational institution, the council had other priorities". The change of curators plunged the zoo into a pursuit of the animal entertainments Sawer had so strenuously resisted. 1950s Robert W. Roach, 36, an English veterinarian took over as curator of the zoo in November 1949 with Sawer staying on as assistant curator until July 1950. Sawer died only nine months later aged 71, having lived in or around the zoo for the last 15 years of his life. Roach introduced a process of regularly opening new exhibits and postcards to the zoo. The next five years saw a commitment to increased expenditure by the Council with improvements to existing, or new enclosures for sun bears, wombats, echidnas, monkeys, tigers and birds. Tragedy stuck the zoo twice in 1954, first with the death of Albert Barnett the zoo foreman. Barnett died after a finger became infected in what was initially thought to be a minor injury sustained at work. In August, another staff member, 65-year-old Frank Lane, who had also worked at the zoo since its opening like Barnett, was killed in a much publicised accident. Lane had just fed a young elephant, Kassala, and was climbing back through the rails between the stalls when Jamuna swung her trunk knocking him into the wall and killing him instantly. Barnett had been Jamuna's regular keeper