Adelaide Zoo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Adelaide Zoo

Date opened	23 May 1883; 142 years ago (1883-05-23)
Location	Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Land area	8 hectares (20 acres)
Coordinates	34°54′51″S 138°36′21″E / 34.91417°S 138.60583°E / -34.91417; 138.60583
No. of animals	over 3,000 (as at September 2019)
No. of species	300
Memberships	Zoo and Aquarium Association, World Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Sumatran tiger

The Adelaide Zoo is a super cool place to visit in Adelaide, South Australia! It's one of the oldest zoos in Australia, opening way back in 1883. This zoo is special because it's run by a non-profit group called Zoos South Australia. They also look after Monarto Safari Park nearby.

You can find the zoo just north of the city centre, in the beautiful Adelaide Parklands. It's home to over 2,500 animals from about 250 different types of species. Imagine walking through a jungle-like area called "Immersion," where you can see Sumatran tigers and Sumatran orangutans up close!

The zoo isn't just about animals; it's also a botanical garden with amazing plants from all over the world. Some of its buildings are even listed as important historical places, like the main entrance and the old Elephant House.

One of the most popular attractions is the giant panda exhibit. Here, you can meet two adorable giant pandas named Wang Wang and Funi. They'll be staying at the zoo until at least 2024!

History of Adelaide Zoo

One of the zoo's two giant pandas

Adelaide Zoo first opened its doors on May 23, 1883. It started with 6.5 hectares of land, which has now grown to 8 hectares. The zoo was founded by a group called the South Australian Acclimatization and Zoological Society. This group later became the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia in 1937, after getting a special approval from King George VI.

For many years, the zoo was managed by members of the Minchin family. R. E. Minchin was the first director, followed by his son and then his grandson. Another grandson even ran a private Koala Farm nearby, and the extra koalas were released onto Kangaroo Island.

In the past, the zoo was involved in sending live birds, like finches and parrots, to other countries. Over time, people realized how important it was to protect Australia's native birds. The zoo then worked hard to improve its animal care and conservation efforts. Today, the zoo is known for its scientific work and commitment to animal welfare.

The way animals are housed at the zoo has changed a lot over the years. Instead of keeping animals in separate cages, the zoo now groups them together in exhibits that look like their natural homes. This helps the animals feel more comfortable and teaches visitors about their habitats. Some old buildings, like the Elephant House built in 1900, are still there but are now used for educational displays. The last elephant at the zoo, Samorn, moved to Monarto in 1991.

Chilean flamingo

The flamingo exhibit is one of the oldest parts of the zoo, opening in 1885. It's still in the same spot today! For many years, the zoo had a very old greater flamingo that was thought to be 83 years old when it passed away in 2014. The last Chilean flamingo in Australia, which had lived at Adelaide Zoo since 1948, was humanely put to sleep in 2018.

Over the years, many new areas have opened. The nocturnal house, where you can see animals active at night, opened in 1974. The reptile house opened in 1985 and was made bigger in 1993. The exciting giant panda exhibit, with its Bamboo Forest, opened in 2009. This area used to be for South American animals. Also, the old ape area was replaced by a new education centre and Envirodome in 2008-2009.

In 2010, the main entrance of the zoo was moved. But don't worry, the beautiful old gates from 1883 are still there and have been carefully looked after! The zoo's restaurant is in a brick building that used to be a monkey house, built in 1891.

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  An Asian small-clawed otter being fed a fish

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  Yellow-footed rock wallabies atop rocky terrain. This species, with its distinctive tail markings, appears in the zoo's logo.

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  The zoo is home to only Patagonian maras held in Australia

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  Meerkats

What's Special About Adelaide Zoo?

Northern white-cheeked gibbon (female)

Northern white-cheeked gibbon (male)

Dusky leaf monkeys

Adelaide Zoo really focuses on animals from the ancient "Gondwana" supercontinent. This huge landmass broke apart long ago to form places like South America, India, Africa, Australia, and South East Asia. You'll see how plants and animals from these regions are connected in exhibits like the South East Asian Rainforest and the Australian Rainforest Wetlands aviary. For example, Malayan tapirs and dusky leaf monkeys share an exhibit, just like they might in the wild!

The South East Asia "Immersion" exhibit was built in two parts. The first part, finished in 1995, brought animals like siamangs and sun bears (though sun bears are no longer at the zoo). The second part, completed in 2006, created homes for Sumatran orangutans, siamangs, and Sumatran tigers. There's also a large walk-through aviary where you can see gibbons and tigers.

The zoo is famous for its amazing bird collection. However, it's quite difficult to bring new exotic animals into Australia because of strict rules to protect native wildlife. This means the zoo mostly gets new birds and mammals from animals born in Australia or from rescued illegal imports.

Adelaide Zoo also loves to teach people about animals and conservation! They offer different "get to know the zoo" tours and have a big "children's zoo" area. Since 2009, there's been a special education area for high school students and teachers. Groups can even sleep over at the zoo! A new educational area called the Envirodome opened in 2009. Here, you can learn about how to help the environment through fun, hands-on activities. The Envirodome building itself is super eco-friendly, with a green roof and solar panels!

Meet the Animals!

In 2023, Adelaide Zoo was home to more than 2,500 animals from 250 different species.

Binturong

A sleeping Malayan tapir

Bamboo Forest

• Giant panda
• Red panda

South-East Asia

Little penguins

South Australian Coast

• Australian sea lion
• Little penguin

Red kangaroo

Short-beaked echidnas

Australia

Nocturnal House

Greater bilby in the Nocturnal House

Reptiles House

Gippsland water dragon

Western swamp turtle

Jewels of Asia Aviary

Channel-billed cuckoo

South-East Asian Aviary

Africa

Giraffes with sponsorship signs

Americas

American alligator

Tamarin House

Birds of the Adelaide Hills Aviary

Regent honeyeater

Eclectus parrots (female and male)

Australian Rainforest Birds Walkthrough Aviary

Ponds and Wetland Walkthrough Aviary

Pied heron

Birds of the Australian Desert Aviary

Other Australian Habitat Aviaries

Blue-winged kookaburra

Rainbow bee-eater

Variety Children's Zoo

Envirodome

The Envirodome is a cool, hands-on area where you can learn about protecting our environment. It's built using lots of recycled materials and even has a green roof and solar panels! Here, you can see animals like the yellow seahorse and discover simple ways to help our planet.

Interesting Zoo Stories

Zoos often have interesting stories, and Adelaide Zoo is no different!

• In 1909, a newspaper reported a strange event: a snake at the zoo swallowed a rug! The rug was about 1.6 meters long and weighed around 2.5 kilograms. Amazingly, the snake was fine and coughed up the rug almost a month later!
• On Mother's Day in 2009, a clever female orangutan named Karta used plants and a stick to get out of her enclosure! She didn't go far and soon dropped back into her home, safe and sound.
• In August 2022, a new red panda named Ravi made a dash for freedom! He was found a couple of days later in a tree at the Botanic Park nearby. Keepers tried to get him down with food, but he was eventually tranquilized and safely returned to the zoo.

Famous Zoo Residents

Adelaide Zoo has been home to some truly special animals over the years:

• The last Javan rhino in captivity was at Adelaide Zoo. It was mistakenly thought to be an Indian rhinoceros because not much was known about Javan rhinos back then. It passed away in 1907.
• The last American beaver in any Australian zoo lived at Adelaide Zoo and died in 2010.
• Miss C, a Hoffmann's two-toed sloth, was the last of her kind in Australia and the oldest in the world when she died in 2017 at 43 years old!
• Wang Wang and Funi are the two famous giant pandas who live at Adelaide Zoo. They are part of a special program to help protect endangered wildlife.
• Yiray the quokka, a cute Australian native animal, became a proud parent in March 2022 when she gave birth to a baby!

See Also

• List of zoos in Australia