History
The first public zoo in New South Wales opened in 1884 at Billy Goat Swamp in Moore Park, on a site now occupied by Sydney Boys High School and Sydney Girls High School. Inspired by a 1908 visit to the Hamburg Zoo, the secretary of the zoo, Albert Sherbourne Le Souef, envisioned a new zoo based on the bar-less concept. After realising that the Moore Park site was too small, the NSW Government granted 43 acres (17 ha) of land north of Sydney Harbour. A further 9 acres (3.6 ha) were later granted in 1916.
Giraffes in front of Sydney's skyline.
Taronga is an Aboriginal word meaning beautiful view.
Later additions and changes
A critical review in 1967 led to a new emphasis on scientific conservation, education and preservation. New exhibits were built starting with the Platypus and Nocturnal Houses, waterfowl ponds and walkthrough Rainforest Aviary. A Veterinary Quarantine Centre was built as was an Education Centre (funded by the Department of Education). Previous attractions such as elephant rides, miniature trains, monkey circus and merry-go-round gave way to educational facilities such as Friendship Farm and Seal theatre.
In the mid-1980s, a cable car was installed that allows visitors to view the zoo and Sydney Harbour. It runs from the bottom of the park close to the ferry wharf, and transports passengers to the top end of the zoo.
2000 Masterplan
In 2000, TCSA commenced a 12-year $250 million master plan, the majority of which is being spent at Taronga Zoo. The first major master plan item was the Backyard to Bush precinct. Under the plan, the Zoo received five Asian elephants from the Thailand Zoological Park Organisation for breeding purposes, education, long-term research and involvement of conservation programs. The plan has met opposition from environmental activists in Thailand, who blockaded the trucks hauling the elephants to Bangkok International Airport for their flight on June 5, 2006. The elephants along with other Asian rain forest specimens are housed in the "Wild Asia" precinct which opened in 2006 and aims to immerse visitors in an Asian rain forest environment.
A marine section, Great Southern Oceans, opened in April 2008.
Recent activities
Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (April 2008)
- In February, 2003 it became the second zoo in Australia to breed the platypus.
Zoo Friends
Zoo Friends is an organisation which offers support in form of volunteers and fund raising for both Taronga and Western Plains Zoo. It's a good way of getting behind the scenes at the Zoo and offers its members free Zoo entry. Members are also eligible to volunteer to help at the Zoo. More details at http://www.zoofriends.org.au
Animals and exhibits
Taronga Zoo has about 340 species and over 2600 individual animals. They are housed in a large variety of exhibits, including:
Wild Australia
Australian Wetlands
- Black-necked Stork
- Little Pied Cormorant
- Brolga
- Australian Pelican
- Royal Spoonbill
- Pacific Black Duck
- Chestnut Teal
- Blue-billed Duck
- Australian Wood Duck
- Australian Shelduck
- Plumed Whistling Duck
- Water Whistling Duck
- Black Swan
- Cape Barren Goose
- Magpie Goose
Australian Walkabout
A Peacock displays to puzzled Red Kangaroos, 2007.
- Red Kangaroo
- Tammar Wallaby
Koala Encounters/Koala Walkabout
Platypus House
- Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat
Australian Nightlife
- Spotted-tail Quoll
- Red-tailed Phascogale
- Bilby
- Long-nosed Bandicoot
- Long-nosed Potoroo
- Brush-tailed Bettong
- Common Ringtail Possum
- Squirrel Glider
- Yellow-bellied Glider
- Feathertail Glider
- Greater Stick-nest Rat
- Black-footed Tree-rat
- Plains Rat
- Spinifex Hopping-mouse
- Ghost Bat
- Tawny Frogmouth
- New Caledonian Giant Gecko
Australian Rainforest Aviary
- Rainbow Lorikeet
- Musk Lorikeet
- Eclectus Parrot
- Australian King Parrot
- Crimson Rosella
- Double-eyed Fig-Parrot
- Paradise Riflebird
- Wonga Pigeon
- Topknot Pigeon
- Superb Fruit-Dove
- Emerald Dove
- Brown Cuckoo-Dove
- White-headed Pigeon
- Red-browed Finch
- Blue-faced Parrot-Finch
- Buff-banded Rail
- Black-breasted Button-Quail
- Regent Bowerbird
- Eastern Whipbird
- Noisy Pitta
- Black-faced Monarch
- Common Koel
Australian Bush Birds
- King Quail
- Painted Button-Quail
- Green Pygmy-Goose
- White-browed Crake
- Banded Lapwing
- Pacific Golden Plover
- Black-winged Stilt
- Laughing Kookaburra
- Sacred Kingfisher
- Forest Kingfisher
- Rainbow Bee-eater
- Pheasant Coucal
- Glossy Black-Cockatoo
- Musk Lorikeet
- Little Lorikeet
- Turquoise Parrot
- Swift Parrot
- Superb Fruit-Dove
- Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove
- Wonga Pigeon
- Topknot Pigeon
- Emerald Dove
- Bar-shouldered Dove
- Peaceful Dove
- Brush Bronzewing
- Crested Pigeon
- Noisy Pitta
- Eastern Spinebill
- Noisy Friarbird
- Blue-faced Honeyeater
- New Holland Honeyeater
- Striped Honeyeater
- Crimson Chat
- Variegated Fairy-wren
- Eastern Yellow Robin
- Hooded Robin
- Grey Shrike-thrush
- Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike
- Silvereye
- Clamorous Reed-Warbler
- Eastern Whipbird
- Diamond Firetail
- Red-browed Finch
- Plum-headed Finch
- Double-barred Finch
- Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
- Satin Bowerbird
- Regent Bowerbird
- White-browed Woodswallow
Creatures of the Wollemi
- Platypus
- Short-beaked Echidna
- Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby
- Australasian Grebe
- Hardhead
- Masked Lapwing
- Bush Stone-curlew
- Little Pied Cormorant
- Laughing Kookaburra
- Sacred Kingfisher
- Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo
- Gang-gang Cockatoo
- Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
- Eastern Rosella
- Superb Parrot
- Red-rumped Parrot
- Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove
- Wonga Pigeon
- Brush Bronzewing
- Dollarbird
- Figbird
- Noisy Pitta
- Superb Lyrebird
- Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike
- White-browed Babbler
- Satin Bowerbird
- Regent Bowerbird
- Striped Honeyeater
- Regent Honeyeater
- Diamond Firetail
- Eastern Water Dragon
- Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard
- Cunningham's Skink
- Eastern Water Skink
- Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko
- Eastern Long-necked Turtle
Helmore Parrot Aviary
- Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo
- Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo
- Short-billed Black-Cockatoo
- Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
- Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
- Gang-gang Cockatoo
Backyard to Bush
- Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat
- Red Kangaroo
- Eastern Grey Kangaroo
- Spinifex Hopping-mouse
- House Mouse
- Guinea Pig
- European Rabbit
- Sheep
- Goat
- Pig
- Emu
- Budgerigar
- Cockatiel
- King Quail
- Chicken
- Wild Turkey
- Children's python
- Diamond Python
- Red-bellied Black Snake
- Coastal Bearded Dragon
- Lace Monitor
- Shingleback
- Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard
- Eastern Snake-necked Turtle
- Green Tree Frog
- Dainty Green Tree Frog
- Green and Golden Bell Frog
- Splendid Rainbowfish
- Pacific Blue-eye
- Redback spider
- Golden orb-web spider
- Huntsman Spider
- Bird-eating spider
- Wolf Spider
- White-tail spider
- Net-casting spider
- Black house spider
- Daddy Long Legs
- Desert Scorpion
- Rainforest Scorpion
- Praying Mantis
- Black House Ant
- Meat Ant
- Grasshopper
- Phasmids
- Giant Burrowing Cockroach
- American cockroach
- Centipede
- Garden snail
- Mealworm
Other Wild Australia
One of the Dingos at Taronga (2007)
- Dingo
- Tasmanian Devil
- Red Kangaroo
- Eastern Grey Kangaroo
- Tammar Wallaby
- Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby
- Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo
- Emu
- Malleefowl
- Sacred Kingfisher
- Eclectus Parrot
- Red Lory
- Rainbow Lorikeet
- Purple-crowned Lorikeet
- Red-rumped Parrot
- Victoria Crowned Pigeon
- Diamond Dove
- Common Bronzewing
- Blue-faced Honeyeater
- Regent Honeyeater
- Striated Grasswren
- Saltwater Crocodile
Great Southern Oceans
- Leopard Seal
- California Sea Lion
- Australian Sea Lion
- Australian Fur Seal
- New Zealand Fur Seal
- Australian Pelican
- Fiordland Penguin
- Little Penguin
Moore Park Aviary
- Northern Palm Squirrel
- Mandarin Duck
Serpentaria
- Freshwater Crocodile
- Komodo Dragon
- Mitchell's Water Monitor
- Short-tailed Monitor
- Eastern Water Dragon
- Coastal Bearded Dragon
- Chameleon Dragon
- Central Netted Dragon
- Tawny Crevice Dragon
- Frilled Lizard
- Basilisk
- Sailfin Lizard
- Green Iguana
- Rhinoceros Iguana
- Fiji Banded Iguana
- Fiji Crested Iguana
- Gila Monster
- Anaconda
- Jackson's Chameleon
- Veiled Chameleon
- Scheltopusik
- Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard
- Night Skink
- Hosmer's Skink
- Land Mullet
- Cunningham's Skink
- Giant Cave Gecko
- Rough Knob-tailed Gecko
- Tuatara
- Reticulated Python
- Amethystine Python
- Green Python
- Boa Constrictor
- Taiwan Beauty Snake
- Rhinoceros Viper
- Eyelash Viper
- Egyptian Cobra
- Corn Snake
- Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
- Taipan
- Red-bellied Black Snake
- Black-headed Python
- Stimson's Python
- Collett's Snake
- Fierce Snake
- Desert Death Adder
- Broad-headed Snake
- Arafura File Snake
- Star Tortoise
- Elongate Tortoise
- Matamata
- Eastern Snake-necked Turtle
- Northern Snake-necked Turtle
- Broad-shelled River Turtle
- River Cooter
- Saw-shelled Turtle
- Short-necked Turtle
- Green Tree Frog
- Red-eyed Tree Frog
- White-lipped Tree Frog
- Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog
- Green and Golden Bell Frog
- Cane Toad
Amazonia
South American Aviaries
- Brazilian Agouti
- Green-winged Macaw
- Brown-throated Conure
- Razor-billed Curassow
African Waterhole
- Sun Bear
- Pygmy Hippopotamus
- Brazilian Tapir
- Common Zebra
- Egyptian Goose
- Helmeted Guineafowl
Chimpanzee Park
Gorilla Forest
- Western Lowland Gorilla
- De Brazza's Monkey
Wild Asia
- Asian Elephant
- Silvery Gibbon
- Francois' Langur
- Fishing Cat
- Binturong
- Oriental Small-clawed Otter
- Chital
- Malayan Tapir
- Grey-headed Flying Fox
- Green Peafowl
- Kalij Pheasant
- Golden Pheasant
- Red Junglefowl
- Chukar Partridge
- King Quail
- Buff-banded Rail
- Mandarin Duck
- Ruddy Shelduck
- Water Whistling Duck
- Cattle Egret
- Glossy Ibis
- Royal Spoonbill
- Sacred Kingfisher
- White-bibbed Ground Dove
- Luzon Bleeding-heart Pigeon
- Superb Fruit-Dove
- Nicobar Pigeon
- Pied Imperial Pigeon
- Red Lory
- Figbird
- Red-whiskered Bulbul
- Metallic Starling
- Clamorous Reed-Warbler
- Pekin Robin
- Tri-coloured Mannikin
- Java Sparrow
- Koi
- Rosy Barb
- White Cloud Mountain Minnow
- Medaka
Tree Shrew House
Himalayan Mountains
Cats of Asia
Fishing Cat in Taronga (2007)
"Dog Row"
Orang-utan Rainforest
Bear Canyon
Giant Tortoises
The Taronga Zoo ferry wharf
The latest addition to Taronga Zoo is the newly awaited Meerkat pups.
Transport
The Taronga Zoo ferry services are, for many tourists, the preferred mode of travel to the zoo. Passengers disembarking at the ferry wharf, located on Bradleys Head Road, can enter the zoo via a cable car or connect with local State Transit bus services. Sydney Ferries offers combined "ZooLink" tickets covering ferry fares, park entry and cable car ride.
See also
- Western Plains Zoo
- Taronga by Victor Kelleher, a work of fiction using Taronga Zoo as its setting
