Melbourne Zoo facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens

The main entrance to Melbourne Zoo, 1940
Date opened	6 October 1862; 162 years ago (1862-10-06)
Location	Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Land area	55 acres (22 ha)
Coordinates	37°47′05″S 144°57′08″E / 37.784762°S 144.952095°E / -37.784762; 144.952095
No. of animals	5,120
No. of species	250
Memberships	Zoo and Aquarium Association, World Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Major exhibits	Elephants, lions, tigers, orang-utans, gorillas

Melbourne Zoo is a super cool zoo located in Melbourne, Australia. You can find it inside Royal Park in Parkville. It's only about 4 kilometers north of Melbourne's city center. This zoo is the main one for Melbourne, and it's home to over 3,700 animals from 243 different species! These animals come from Australia and all over the world.

Getting to the zoo is easy! You can take a train to Royal Park station on the Upfield railway line. Trams 58 and 19 also stop nearby. If you like to bike, the Capital City Trail goes right past it. Just remember, you can't ride your bike inside the zoo itself.

Melbourne Zoo is a member of important groups like the Zoo and Aquarium Association and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This means it follows high standards for animal care and conservation.

The zoo is a beautiful place with lots of flower gardens and picnic spots. Many animals live in special areas that look like their natural homes. These are called bioclimatic zones. For example, there's an African rainforest area with gorillas and lemurs. The Asian rainforest is home to elephants, orangutans, tigers, and otters. You can also explore the Australian bush to see kangaroos, koalas, wombats, goannas, and many native birds.

Other popular spots include the 'Butterfly House', the 'Reptile House', and the 'Great Flight Aviary'. Don't miss 'Wild Sea', 'Treetop Apes and Monkeys', and 'Lion Gorge'. In summer, you can even buy tickets for "Roar and Snore" events. This lets you camp overnight at the zoo and see some of the nocturnal animals on special evening tours!

The zoo has a big section just for schools. Lots of students visit every year. Their amazing education program helps young people learn about animals and how to protect them. You can also see old buildings like the Elephant House. It's been updated so visitors can sleep there during the "Roar and Snore" nights.

History of Melbourne Zoo
Zoos Victoria
Meet the Animals: Popular Exhibits
Gallery
See also

History of Melbourne Zoo

How the Zoo Started

In October 1857, a group called the Zoological Society of Victoria was formed. Their goal was to bring new animals and plants from other countries to Australia. Their first animal collection was kept in Richmond Paddock. In 1861, the group changed its name to the "Acclimatisation Society of Victoria".

On October 6, 1862, the society opened the new Melbourne Zoo. It was built in Royal Park on 55 acres of land. The City of Melbourne donated this land. Melbourne Zoo was designed to be like the famous London Zoo.

Growing and Changing

At first, the zoo helped animals get used to Australia after their long journeys. But in 1870, Albert Alexander Cochrane Le Souef became the director. He started bringing in more exciting animals for people to see. He also helped develop the beautiful gardens and picnic areas. In 1870, the society changed its name again to the "Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria". In 1910, they were given the special title "Royal".

The President of the Zoological Board feeding a llama, 1937

The Rail Gate entrance, near Royal Park railway station

One of the most famous animals from the early 1900s to the 1940s was Queenie the elephant.

In the mid-1930s, the zoo had some money problems. So, in 1937, the government created the Zoological Board of Victoria to take over running the zoo.

Melbourne Zoo from above, February 2017

In 1964, a cool new Lion Park exhibit opened. It had a raised walkway where visitors could look down into two separate lion areas. This exhibit was later replaced in 2014 with a new lion home.

Melbourne Zoo was the first place in Australia where a gorilla was born! This happened in 1984. In 1988, giant pandas from China visited the zoo for a special exhibition. This was part of Australia's 200th birthday celebrations.

Recent Milestones

The 'Trail of the Elephants' exhibit opened in 2003 and won many awards. On January 15, 2010, the zoo welcomed its first elephant calf, Mali. She was the first female elephant calf born in Australia and the first born using artificial insemination.

In 2012, Melbourne Zoo celebrated 150 years of being open! Australia Post even released special stamps to mark the occasion. The zoo also finished building a new carnivore trail in early 2018.

Zoos Victoria

Zoos Victoria is the group that manages Melbourne Zoo. They also look after two other amazing places:

The Werribee Open Range Zoo: Here you can see large plant-eating animals in a wide-open space.
Healesville Sanctuary: This sanctuary shows off Australian animals in 175 hectares of bushland.

These three zoos have been working together as Zoos Victoria since 1973. They are guided by the Zoological Parks and Gardens Board. In July 2022, Kyabram Fauna Park also joined the Zoos Victoria family.

In October 2023, Zoos Victoria started a special project with Colossal Biosciences. They are working to protect the Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon. They also plan to study its DNA to help with conservation.