- This page was last modified on 21 June 2025, at 08:12. Suggest an edit.
National Zoo & Aquarium facts for kids
National Zoo & Aquarium logo
|
|
| Location | Weston Creek, Australian Capital Territory |
|---|---|
| Land area | 19 ha (47 acres) |
| Coordinates | 35°18′2″S 149°4′10″E / 35.30056°S 149.06944°E |
| No. of animals | Approx 200 (not including fish) |
| No. of species | 75 |
| Memberships | ZAA |
The National Zoo and Aquarium is a special place in Canberra, Australia's capital city. It's a privately owned zoo and aquarium all in one! It covers about 19 hectares, which is like 19 football fields. You can find it in Yarralumla, right by Lake Burley Griffin. The zoo recently got much bigger, adding 12 hectares of open areas for animals in 2017.
Contents
About the Zoo
The National Zoo and Aquarium is owned by a family, the Tindales. It doesn't get money from the government. Instead, it uses the money from tickets to take care of the animals and the park. Many amazing volunteers also help out, making sure everything runs smoothly.
This zoo is super unique because it's the only place in Australia that has both a zoo and an aquarium together! You can see animals that are native to Australia, like koalas and kangaroos. But you'll also find animals from all over the world. They have the biggest collection of big cats in Australia, including lions and tigers. The zoo also works hard to help endangered species by being part of special breeding programs.
Fun Activities and Tours
The National Zoo and Aquarium offers lots of cool programs for visitors. Schools can come for special tours, and families can enjoy guided trips. If you're celebrating a birthday, you can even have a party at the zoo! During school holidays, there are fun activities for kids. On weekends, children aged 8 to 16 can join a hands-on learning program.
You can also get up close with animals on interactive tours. Some popular ones include the ZooVenture Tour, being a "keeper for a day," or even meeting a cheetah! Plus, keepers give talks every day and on weekends to teach you more about the animals.
Tux the Penguin
Here's a fun fact! The famous Tux the Linux mascot was inspired by a little penguin at the Canberra zoo. Linus Torvalds, who created Linux, was bitten by the penguin during a visit.
Amazing Animals
The zoo is home to many different animals from Australia and around the world.
Australian Animals
You can see native Australian animals like dingos, koalas, western grey kangaroos, swamp wallabys, parma wallabys, emus, and Tasmanian devils. They also have little penguins and a special wombat named Winnie, who is known as the oldest wombat living in a zoo!
Big Cats and Other Mammals
The zoo has an impressive collection of big cats. These include tawny African lions, rare white lions, Sumatran tigers, Bengal tigers, Sri Lankan leopards, cheetahs, and servals.
Other cool mammals you might spot are rhinos, brown bears, sun bears, zebras, giraffes, and African wild dogs. You can also see smaller animals like meerkats, different types of monkeys like black-capped capuchins and squirrel monkeys, and cute red pandas.
Aquarium Life
The aquarium part of the zoo is full of amazing fish and other water creatures. You'll find tropical marine fish and freshwater fish. Some of the big ones include Murray cod, Queensland groper, and barramundi. There are also different kinds of sharks, such as blacktip reef sharks and zebra sharks.
Reptiles, Amphibians, and Birds
The zoo has many interesting reptiles and amphibians. Look out for shingleback skinks, green iguanas, and large snakes like the reticulated python. You can also see American alligators and colorful magnificent tree frogs.
For bird lovers, there are little penguins, beautiful peafowl, and many other birds like musk lorikeets, tawny frogmouths, and black swans.
Zoo History
The National Zoo & Aquarium started as just the "National Aquarium" on May 31, 1990. It was a big project at the time, with a huge 1.5 million-liter aquarium that had an underwater tunnel you could walk through! This was a very new idea back then.
Over the years, the facility changed hands a few times. In 1993, it became the National Aquarium - Australian Wildlife Sanctuary, adding more native animals.
In 1998, the Tindale family bought the property. They worked hard to fix up and improve everything. Sadly, the big walk-through aquarium had to be closed because it needed major repairs. It was later changed to house animals like Snow Leopards and Tigers, and is now a rainforest display.
In 1999, the zoo built a new home for three brown bears. In 2000, they started building enclosures for big cats, including lions and tigers. By 2001, the wildlife park was growing fast, adding homes for more big cats, native animals, monkeys, and large animals like zebras and giraffes. This is when it officially became the "National Zoo & Aquarium."
Growth and New Experiences
Between 2001 and 2003, the zoo faced challenges from bushfires, which burned the pine forest around it. This led to ideas for the zoo to expand even more.
The zoo was one of the first in Australia to offer hands-on animal experiences. In 2004, their ZooVenture Tour won an award for adventure tourism.
In December 2014, the zoo opened a special place called Jamala Wildlife Lodge. This lodge offers luxury overnight stays right inside the zoo! You can sleep in bungalows near animals or in treehouses with giraffes. The money from Jamala helps the zoo and supports animal conservation efforts around the world. Jamala Wildlife Lodge has won many awards for being a unique and amazing place to stay.
In May 2017, the zoo opened its new open-range section, making the zoo three times bigger! Today, the National Zoo & Aquarium is one of the largest privately owned zoos in Australia. It's also the only place in Australia with an aquarium that's not on the coast.