Pouakai Zoo was founded in 1976 as a wildlife reserve and was turned into a zoo in 1987 by first owners Gary and Maria Faigan. The zoo was then owned by Rex and Rosemary Bloor for approximately 4 years, followed by Tony (Bart) Hartley and Fiona Carson who introduced the big cats. XinCai Liu and Adam Can Horne took over the zoo on 3rd February 2014.