Taronga Zoo facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This page is about the zoo in Mosman, Sydney. For the zoo in Bungarribee, known as Sydney Zoo, see Sydney Zoo. For the zoo in Dubbo, see Taronga Western Plains Zoo.

Quick facts for kids
Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo Sydney upper entrance
Date opened	7 October 1916; 108 years ago (1916-10-07) (1884 at Moore Park site)
Location	Bradleys Head Road, Mosman, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Land area	28 hectares (69 acres)
Coordinates	33°50′36″S 151°14′28″E / 33.84333°S 151.24111°E / -33.84333; 151.24111
No. of animals	2,000+
No. of species	150+
Memberships	ZAA

Taronga Zoo is a famous public zoo in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It's located in the suburb of Mosman, right on the beautiful shores of Sydney Harbour. The zoo is open every day from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The name "Taronga" comes from an Aboriginal word that means "beautiful view."

The zoo officially opened its doors on October 7, 1916. Taronga Zoo Sydney is managed by the Taronga Conservation Society. It works together with its sister zoo, the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo.

Taronga Zoo Sydney covers about 28 hectares (that's like 70 football fields!). It is home to more than 2,600 animals from about 150 different species. The zoo has different areas for animals from all over the world. You can also find a zoo shop, a cafe, and an information center there.

History of Taronga Zoo

Taronga Zoo lower-level entrance

The historic entrance of Taronga Zoo

Rustic Bridge, a historical relic of the zoo

The first public zoo in New South Wales opened in 1884 at Moore Park in Sydney. But this site was too small. So, in 1908, the zoo's secretary, Albert Sherbourne Le Souef, got an idea from the Hamburg Zoo. He wanted a new zoo without bars for the animals.

The NSW Government gave the zoo 43 acres of land near Sydney Harbour. More land was added later. The new Taronga Zoo opened to the public on October 7, 1916.

Rustic Bridge

The "Rustic Bridge" opened in 1915. It was one of the first special features at Taronga Zoo. It helped visitors cross a natural dip in the land. Old photos show it as a pretty path hidden by plants. Its design, with stones in the walls, looked like Italian caves.

Changes in the Late 1900s

In 1967, the zoo decided to focus more on science and saving animals. They also wanted to teach people about wildlife. New animal homes were built, like those for platypuses and nocturnal (night-time) animals. They also built a Rainforest Aviary where visitors could walk through.

A special center for animal health was built. An Education Centre also opened to help teach visitors. Old attractions like elephant rides and miniature trains were replaced. New educational areas like Friendship Farm and Seal Theatre were added.

A gondola lift was put in place in 1987. It took visitors from the bottom of the park, near the ferry, to the top. The gondola closed in January 2023 and might reopen in 2025.

New Plans for the 2000s

In 2000, Taronga Zoo started a big plan to improve the zoo. The first new area was "Backyard to Bush," which opened in 2003.

As part of this plan, the zoo welcomed five Asian elephants from Thailand. These elephants are part of programs to help them breed and to teach people about them. These elephants live in the "Rainforest Trail" area, which opened in 2005. This area makes visitors feel like they are in an Asian rainforest.

A marine (ocean) animal section called "Great Southern Oceans" opened in 2008. The chimpanzee area was also made bigger. It is now called "Chimpanzee Sanctuary." This gives the chimpanzees more space.

The "Tiger Trek" area opened in 2017. It has homes for critically endangered Sumatran tigers. The zoo's "African Savannah" area opened in 2020. It is a much larger home for giraffes and zebras.

Zoo Friends

The "Zoo Friends" group helps Taronga Zoo and Western Plains Zoo. They provide volunteers and raise money. Members get special experiences behind the scenes. They also get unlimited entry to the zoo. Members can even volunteer to help out at the zoo.

Special Events

Platypus Birth

In February 2003, Taronga Zoo became the second zoo in Australia to successfully breed a platypus.

Australia's First Elephant Births

Luk Chai the Asian elephant at five months old

On July 4, 2009, an Asian elephant named Thong Dee gave birth to a male calf. He was named Luk Chai. He was the first elephant calf born in Australia! Thong Dee and Luk Chai's father, Gung, were part of a program to help breed elephants in Australia. Luk Chai was very popular, and many visitors came just to see him.

On March 10, 2010, another elephant named Porntip gave birth to a male calf. He was named Pathi Harn, which means "miracle" in Thai.

Royal Visit

In specially built aviary, an Andean condor. The zoo has successfully hatched these threatened birds for over 40 years.

On April 20, 2014, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visited Taronga Zoo. Their 8-month-old son, Prince George, was with them. They helped name a bilby, which was then called "Bilby George." This was Prince George's first official duty! Later, William and Kate visited the zoo again by themselves.

Birth of Sumatran Tiger Cubs

A critically endangered Sumatran tiger in one of the three exhibits

On January 17, 2019, Kartika, one of the zoo's Sumatran tigers, gave birth to three cubs. Sumatran tigers are critically endangered, meaning very few are left in the wild. Since 1980, 21 tiger cubs have been born at Taronga Zoo.

Ongoing Conservation Work

Taronga Zoo has been working for over fifty years to help save endangered animals. They focus on helping species that are threatened in their natural homes.

For example, in November 2021, Taronga released 58 critically endangered regent honeyeaters into the wild. These birds were bred at the zoo.

World's Only Leopard Seals in a Zoo

Taronga Zoo was once the only zoo in the world to have leopard seals. Leopard seals usually live in Antarctica. But sometimes, they come to Australia's coastlines. From 1999 to 2014, Taronga had three leopard seals: Brooke, Sabine, and Casey. All three were found sick or hurt on beaches.

These seals helped scientists learn more about this species. They studied things like how fast their whiskers grow. They also learned about how leopard seals hunt for krill (tiny sea creatures). A new home for the leopard seals was built in the "Great Southern Ocean" exhibit. This exhibit now houses Australian sea lions and New Zealand fur seals.

Exhibits and Wildlife Collection

Taronga Zoo Sydney cares for about 2,000 animals from over 150 different species. Many of these animals are threatened in the wild. They live in many different exhibits, including:

Wild Australia

Koala

Platypus

This area features animals native to Australia.

Nura Diya Australia

This section showcases various Australian animals.

Gulamanu Nura (Koala Country)

Koala

Wuragal Nura (Dingo Country)

Dingo

Platypus Pool

Koala Walkabout

Koala

Tasmanian Devil Conservation Centre

Tasmanian devil

Bilby

Nguwing Nura (Nocturnal Country)

Frogs

Red-bellied black snake

Southern hairy-nosed wombat (seen in burrow tunnel viewing)

Backyard to Bush

This exhibit shows animals found in Australian backyards and bushland.

Superb parrot

Blue Mountains Bushwalk

This area features animals from the Blue Mountains region.

Forest kingfisher

Australian Rainforest Aviary

This aviary is home to birds from Australian rainforests.

Semi-Arid Aviary

This aviary houses birds from Australia's drier regions.

Other Australian Birds

Southern cassowary

Australian reed-warbler
Barking owl ('Free Flight' bird show)
Black-breasted buzzard ('Free Flight' bird show)
Crimson finch
Double-barred finch
Gouldian finch
Green pygmy-goose
Lesser sooty owl ('Aussie Animals Alive' show)
Masked finch
Red-tailed black cockatoo ('Free Flight' bird show)
Rufous whistler
Southern cassowary
Spinifex pigeon
Star finch
Sulphur-crested cockatoo ('Free Flight' bird show)

Fiordland penguin seen through underwater viewing

Great Southern Oceans

This exhibit features animals from the southern oceans.

Moore Park Aviary

Red panda

Reptile World

Rhinoceros iguana

Green tree python

Freshwater crocodile

This building is home to many different reptiles and amphibians.

African Savannah

Giraffe in front of Sydney's skyline in African Savannah exhibit

This exhibit makes you feel like you're on the plains of Africa.

Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Chimpanzee

Rainforest Trail

Pygmy hippopotamus

Fishing cat

This trail takes you through a lush rainforest environment.

Sun Bear Canyon

Sun bear

Tiger Trek

Sun bear

Red junglefowl (free roaming)
Sumatran tiger

Gorilla Forest

Western lowland gorilla

Primate Islands

Other Species

Aldabra giant tortoise

Aldabra giant tortoise
Andean condor
Arabian camel
Blue peafowl (free roaming)
California sea lion ('Seals For The Wild' show)
Capybara
Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo
Red panda
Ring-tailed lemur

Upcoming Exhibits

New reptile and amphibian building
New wildlife hospital
Congo rainforest precinct

Chimpanzee Community

Chimpanzee family

Taronga Zoo is home to a group of 21 chimpanzees. They are of different ages and include both males and females.

Male Chimpanzees

Chimpanzee family in the Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Samaki (born 2001): He is the current leader of the group. He is the father of Cebele.
Shabani (born 1994): Samaki's older brother. He is not very fond of the baby chimpanzees.
Furahi (born 2003): He is close to his mother, Kuma. He helped his mother when his younger brother Fumo was born.
Shikamoo (born 2003): He is good friends with Furahi. He is also very protective of his brother, Sule. Shikamoo is the father of Fumo.
Sule (born 2008): He was the youngest for five years. He often looked after Fumo when he was little. Sule is very social and often helps keep peace in the group. He is currently the alpha male.
Fumo (born 2013): He is the oldest of the four youngest chimpanzees. He is very good at climbing. Fumo is good friends with Cebele.
Sudi (born 2014): His mother, Shiba, keeps him very close. He hasn't had as much freedom to explore as Fumo.
Liwali (born 2014): He was the youngest for three years. He has a close bond with Fumo and Sudi.
Niambi (born 2020): The newest male addition to the group.

Female Chimpanzees

Chimpanzee climbing in the Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Lisa (born 1979): She is the highest-ranking female and the oldest chimpanzee in the group. She has had five babies.
Sasha (born 1980): She has had six babies. Two of her sons, Kike and Sandali, moved to other zoos.
Shiba (born 1981): She is a strong and independent female. She has five children. Her adult sons, Shabani and Samaki, support her in conflicts.
Shona (born 1987): She is the lowest-ranking adult female. She has a good relationship with the alpha male.
Kuma (born 1991): She has had three children. She is a strong female and has moved up in the group's social order. She is very protective of her son, Furahi.
Kamili (born 1995): She has had three babies, but sadly, none survived. She is close to Shona.
Sembe (born 2008): She is very close to her mother, Shiba. She often interacts with Sule.
Naomi (born 2020): She came from Givskud Zoo in Denmark. She sometimes gets into fights with other chimpanzees.
Ceres (born 2017): She came from Givskud Zoo in Denmark. She had a daughter named Cebele in 2017, who sadly passed away in 2023.
Safiri (born 2019): She is Shiba's daughter.
Lemba (born 2023): Lisa's newest baby.
Cekiri (born 2023): Ceres' newest baby and currently the youngest chimpanzee in the group.

Past Chimpanzees

Lubutu (1993-2019): He was the alpha male for a long time. He was kind to the baby chimpanzees and often played with them. He was the father of many chimpanzees in the group.
Spitter (1960-2022): She had seven children during her life.
Koko (1972-2019): She came to Taronga Zoo in 1993. She had five children, but sadly, none survived.

Transport to the Zoo

Taronga Zoo ferry wharf

Many tourists like to take the ferry to Taronga Zoo. It's a quick 12-minute ride from the city. When you get off the ferry at Taronga Zoo ferry wharf, you can enter the zoo through the lower entrance. Or, you can take a bus to the top entrance.

Taronga Zoo also works with other Sydney Harbour boat companies. These companies offer special tickets that include boat travel, zoo entry, and the gondola ride.

Conservation Efforts

Taronga Zoo works hard to protect animals and the environment. They want to reduce human impact on nature. In 2016, they started a big project to save ten important species.

These species include five from Australia:

And five from Sumatra:

The zoo also tries to create less waste. They recycle 84% of their waste. They encourage visitors to use reusable bags, water bottles, and coffee cups. They also use bags and food packaging that break down naturally. At their Seal show, they teach people to choose seafood that is caught in a sustainable way.

Incidents

2022 Lion Escape

On November 2, 2022, five African lions got out of their enclosure. This happened at 6:40 AM. Police were called, and luckily, no one was hurt. The lions were safely returned to their home. One young lion had to be given a tranquilizer (a calming medicine). Later, video footage showed the lions escaping through a hole in a fence.