Adelaide Zoo is Australia's second oldest zoo (after Melbourne Zoo), and it is operated on a non-profit basis. It is located in the parklands just north of the city centre of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. It is administered by the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia Incorporated (trading as Zoos South Australia or Zoos SA), which is a full institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), and which also administers the Monarto Safari Park near

Murray Bridge Murray Bridge may refer to. *Murray Bridge, South Australia, a city and locality *Rural City of Murray Bridge, a local government area in South Australia *Corporate Town of Murray Bridge, a former local government area in South Australia See also ...

. The zoo houses about 300 native and exotic species, with over 3,000 animals on site. The zoo's most recent enclosures are in the second phase of the South-East Asia exhibit, known as Immersion, providing visitors with the experience of walking through the jungle, with

Sumatran tiger The Sumatran tiger is a population of '' Panthera tigris sondaica'' on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is the only surviving tiger population in the Sunda Islands, where the Bali and Javan tigers are extinct. Sequences from complete mit ...

s and Sumatran orangutans seemingly within reach. Five buildings within the zoo have been listed as state heritage places on the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993' ...

, including the front entrance on Frome Road and the former Elephant House. The zoo is also a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

and the grounds contain significant exotic and native flora, including a Moreton Bay fig planted in 1877. The giant panda exhibit, which opened in December 2009, is home to two

giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes u ...

s, Wang Wang and Funi, which will remain at the zoo until at least 2024. Oriental_small-clawed_otter_-_Adelaide_Zoo

History

Adelaide Zoo first opened on 23 May 1883, occupying (now ) of land granted by the government. It was founded by the South Australian Acclimatization and Zoological Society. The society later became the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia after a

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

was granted by

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

in 1937. The first director of the zoo (from 1882 to 1893) was

R. E. Minchin Richard Ernest Minchin (5 March 1831 – 4 January 1893), generally known as R. E. Minchin, was a zoo administrator and artist in South Australia. History Minchin was the eighth son of Mary Anne (Wright) and the (Anglican) Rev. William Minchin, ...

. He was succeeded by his son A. C. Minchin (from 1893 to 1934), and grandson R. R. L. Minchin (from 1935 to 1940). Another grandson, Alfred Keith Minchin ran the private Koala Farm in the North Parklands from 1936 to 1960; the surplus

koala The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the ...

s were set free on

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southw ...

. In the mid-twentieth century the zoo was involved in the export of live birds, with 99% of Australia's exports of live native birds, mainly

finches The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...

and parrots for aviculture, passing through either Adelaide or Taronga (Sydney). At a time when the need for conservation of Australia's native birds, and control of their trade was becoming increasingly apparent, South Australia lagged behind other states in passing appropriate legislation. In 1962 a new director of the zoo, William Gasking, was quickly dismissed through the power exerted by the Zoo Council president, Fred Basse, on the grounds that Gasking would not cooperate with the bird trade. However, when Basse retired the trade in birds dropped to a tenth of what it had been two years before. Since then the zoo's administration has been restructured and the zoo has regained public credibility and scientific status. The modern zoo has moved away from the traditional housing of species separately in pairs. Now species are grouped together as they would be in the wild, in exhibits that are carefully planned according to region. Enclosures have been designed with the needs of the animals in mind, providing a more natural habitat, which also serves an educational purpose for visitors. Although some of the zoo's heritage listed enclosures such as the Elephant House have been retained, they are no longer used to house animals; (the Elephant House now has educational signs). The last elephant housed at the Adelaide Zoo, Samorn, was moved to Monarto in 1991, where she died three years later. The flamingo exhibit was opened in 1885, and is one of the few to have remained in the same position to date. Originally it was stocked with 10 flamingos, however most died during a drought in 1915. In 2014, one of two surviving greater flamingos in the exhibit, thought to be the oldest in the world at 83 years of age, died. The remaining

Chilean flamingo The Chilean flamingo (''Phoenicopterus chilensis'') is a species of large flamingo at closely related to the American flamingo and the greater flamingo, with which it was sometimes considered conspecific. The species is listed as near threatene ...

at Adelaide zoo, the last flamingo in Australia, which arrived in 1948, was humanely euthanised on 6 April 2018. The nocturnal house opened in 1974. The giant panda exhibit and Bamboo Forest opened in 2009. This replaced the former 'South America Section' and ungulate paddocks. In 2010 main entrance was relocated off Frome Road in place of the hoofed animal yards, which were demolished. The famous masonry and iron gates of the original entry, built in 1883, have been preserved.

Current focus

The zoo has a particular focus on species from the

Gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final st ...

"supercontinent" which later broke up into South America,

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, Africa, Australia and

South East Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

. The botanic similarities between the regions are featured in the zoo's main exhibits, which include a South East Asian Rainforest, and Australian Rainforest Wetlands walk-through aviary. The South East Asian precinct combines

Malayan tapir The Malayan tapir (''Tapirus indicus''), also called Asian tapir, Asiatic tapir and Indian tapir, is the only tapir species native to Southeast Asia from the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra. It has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List si ...

and dusky leaf monkeys in a shared exhibit together. Other exhibits are immersed next to each-other such as those for northern white-cheeked gibbons and siamangs on neighboring rainforest lake islands. The South East Asia Exhibit called Immersion was built in two parts. The first part was finished in 1995 which gave exhibits to animals such as siamangs and

sun bear The sun bear (''Helarctos malayanus'') is a species in the family Ursidae (the only species in the genus ''Helarctos'') occurring in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the smallest bear, standing nearly at the shoulder and weighin ...

s (the latter no longer held by the zoo). In late 2006 most of part two was finished which gave exhibits to Sumatran orangutans, siamangs and Sumatran tigers. There is also a large walk-through aviary which takes visitors past the two gibbon islands towards the tiger enclosures. Adelaide Zoo has long been recognised for its impressive bird collection, but Australia's strict importation and quarantine laws make it unlikely that many exotic species will sustain genetically viable populations, a problem experienced by all zoos in the region. Importation of birds from overseas has been banned in Australia since 1943, meaning additions to the exotic bird collection can only come from animals bred in the region or illegally seized. There are similar restrictions on acquiring many mammal species in Australia. The zoo also has a focus on educational programs. There is a selection of "get to know the zoo" type of tours, a large "children's zoo" area, and from April 2009, an educational area for secondary school students and their teachers. Schools can hire the facility and groups can sleep there, with a member from the zoo supervising. Also, a new educational area called the Envirodome opened in April 2009. Night walks, tours and animal research can be done. More information on the educational programs can be found on the zoo's web site. The education building in the northeast corner of the zoo replaced the old ape grottos.

Animals

;Asian Region *Asian small-clawed otter *

Binturong The binturong (''Arctictis binturong'') (, ), also known as the bearcat, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is uncommon in much of its range, and has been assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because of a declining po ...

Blood python ''Python brongersmai'' is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to Southeast Asia. Common names Common names for ''P. brongersmai'' include blood python, Brongersma's short-tailed python, Malaysian blo ...

*Dusky leaf monkey * Elongated tortoise *Giant panda * Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo * Kalij pheasant *

Komodo dragon The Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis''), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. It is the largest ext ...

*Malayan tapir *Northern white-cheeked gibbon *

Red junglefowl The red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus'') is a tropical bird in the family Phasianidae. It ranges across much of Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. It was formerly known as the Bankiva or Bankiva Fowl. It is the species that gave rise to the ...

* Red panda *Siamang *Sumatran orangutan *Sumatran tiger ;South Australian Coast *

Australian sea lion The Australian sea lion (''Neophoca cinerea''), also known as the Australian sea-lion or Australian sealion, is a species of sea lion that is the only endemic pinniped in Australia. It is currently monotypic in the genus '' Neophoca'', with the ...

Little penguin The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is a species of penguin from New Zealand. They are commonly known as little blue penguins or blue penguins owing to their slate-blue plumage and are also known by their Māori name . The Australian l ...

;Australian Region *

Dingo The dingo (''Canis familiaris'', ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or '' Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient (basal) lineage of dog found in Australia. Its taxonomic classification is debated as indicated by the variety of scient ...

Emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus '' Dromaius''. The ...

* Kangaroo Island kangaroo *Koala * Red kangaroo * Short-beaked echidna *

Southern cassowary The southern cassowary (''Casuarius casuarius''), also known as double-wattled cassowary, Australian cassowary or two-wattled cassowary, is a large flightless black bird. It is one of the three living species of cassowary, alongside the dwarf ...

Southern hairy-nosed wombat The southern hairy-nosed wombat (''Lasiorhinus latifrons'') is one of three extant species of wombats. It is found in scattered areas of semiarid scrub and mallee from the eastern Nullarbor Plain to the New South Wales border area. It is the s ...

Swamp wallaby The swamp wallaby (''Wallabia bicolor'') is a small macropod marsupial of eastern Australia. This wallaby is also commonly known as the black wallaby, with other names including black-tailed wallaby, fern wallaby, black pademelon, stinker (in Q ...

* Tammar wallaby *

Tasmanian devil The Tasmanian devil (''Sarcophilus harrisii'') (palawa kani: purinina) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. Until recently, it was only found on the island state of Tasmania, but it has been reintroduced to New South Wales in ...

* Yellow-footed rock wallaby Greater_bilby_-_Macrotis_lagotis

;Australian Nocturnal House * Brush-tailed bettong *

Common ringtail possum The common ringtail possum (''Pseudocheirus peregrinus'', Greek for "false hand" and Latin for "pilgrim" or "alien") is an Australian marsupial. It lives in a variety of habitats and eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plan ...

* Eastern barn owl * Fat-tailed dunnart * Greater bilby * Greater stick-nest rat * Olive python * Spinifex hopping-mouse * Squirrel glider ;Australian Reptiles and Frogs * Adelaide pygmy blue-tongued lizard * Australian green tree snake * Blue Mountains tree frog * Carpet python * Central bearded dragon * Desert death adder * Eastern blue-tongued lizard *

Freshwater crocodile The freshwater crocodile (''Crocodylus johnstoni''), also known as the Australian freshwater crocodile, Johnstone's crocodile or the freshie, is a species of crocodile endemic to the northern regions of Australia. Unlike their much larger Aust ...

* Gippsland water dragon * Green tree python * Growling grass frog * Hosmer's spiny-tailed skink * Inland taipan * Merten's water monitor * Murray River short-neck turtle * Painted burrowing frog *

Pernatty knob-tailed gecko ''Nephrurus deleani'', also known commonly as the acacia knob-tailed gecko, the Pernatty knob-tail, and the Pernatty knob-tailed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Carphodactylidae. The species is endemic to Australia. Etymology The ...

Pig-nosed turtle The pig-nosed turtle (''Carettochelys insculpta''), also known as the pitted-shelled turtle or Fly River turtle, is a species of turtle native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It is the only living member of the family Carettoch ...

* Red eyed tree frog * Red-bellied black snake *

Rosenberg's monitor The Rosenberg's monitor (''Varanus rosenbergi'') is an Australian species of varanid reptile found in southern regions of the continent. They are large and fast predators with rugged bodies and long tails, having a combined length up to 1.5 metr ...

Splendid tree frog Splendid tree frog can refer to: *Magnificent tree frog *''Cruziohyla calcarifer ''Cruziohyla calcarifer'', the splendid leaf frog or splendid treefrog, is a species of tree frog of the subfamily Phyllomedusinae described in 1902 by George Alber ...

* Western swamp turtle * Woma python ;Jewels of Asia Aviary Channel-billed_Cuckoo_at_Adelaide_Zoo

* Black-capped lory * Black-winged stilt * Channel-billed cuckoo *

Chattering lory The chattering lory (''Lorius garrulus'') is a forest-dwelling parrot endemic to North Maluku, Indonesia. It is considered vulnerable, the main threat being from trapping for the cage-bird trade. The race ''L. g. flavopalliatus'' is known as the ...

* Dollarbird * Dusky lory * Emerald dove *

Golden pheasant The golden pheasant (''Chrysolophus pictus''), also known as the Chinese pheasant, and rainbow pheasant, is a gamebird of the order Galliformes (gallinaceous birds) and the family Phasianidae (pheasants). The genus name is from Ancient Greek ...

* Luzon bleeding-heart dove * Malabar parakeet * Noisy pitta * Palm cockatoo * Purple ground dove * Red lory * Rose-crowned fruit-dove * Rufous whistler * Sacred kingfisher * White-breasted ground dove ;South-East Asian Aviary *

Cattle egret The cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Bubulcus'', although some authorities regard ...

* Eurasian coot * Green peafowl * Java sparrow *

Lady Amherst's pheasant Lady Amherst's pheasant (''Chrysolophus amherstiae'') is a bird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''khrusolophos'', "with golden crest". The English name and ''amherstiae'' commemorates Sar ...

* Mandarin duck * Metallic starling * Nicobar pigeon * Pheasant coucal * Plum-headed parakeet ;Variety Children's Zoo *

Alpaca The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas. The two animals are closely related and can success ...

* Domestic chicken *

Domestic goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of t ...

* Domestic rabbit * European fallow deer *

Guinea Pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus '' Cavia'' in the family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the word ''cavy'' to describe the ...

* Hermann's tortoise * Quokka * Spur-thighed tortoise ;African Region * African lion *

African spurred tortoise The African spurred tortoise (''Centrochelys sulcata''), also called the sulcata tortoise, is a species of tortoise inhabiting the southern edge of the Sahara desert in Africa. It is the largest mainland species of tortoise in the world, and the ...

* Aldabra giant tortoise * Congo grey parrot * Eastern black-and-white colobus monkey *

Egyptian goose The Egyptian goose (''Alopochen aegyptiaca'') is a member of the duck, goose A goose (plural, : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family (biology), family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser (bird), ...

Fennec fox The fennec fox (''Vulpes zerda'') is a small crepuscular fox native to the deserts of North Africa, ranging from Western Sahara to the Sinai Peninsula. Its most distinctive feature is its unusually large ears, which serve to dissipate heat and l ...

Giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, '' Giraffa cameloparda ...

Hamadryas baboon The hamadryas baboon (''Papio hamadryas'' ) is a species of baboon within the Old World monkey family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons, being native to the Horn of Africa and the southwestern region of the Arabian Peninsula. These reg ...

* Helmeted guineafowl *

Mandrill The mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a large Old World monkey native to west central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is sexually dimorphic, as males ...

Meerkat MeerKAT, originally the Karoo Array Telescope, is a radio telescope consisting of 64 antennas in the Meerkat National Park, in the Northern Cape of South Africa. In 2003, South Africa submitted an expression of interest to host the Square K ...

Namaqua dove The Namaqua dove (''Oena capensis'') is a small pigeon. It is the only species in the genus ''Oena.'' It is found over much of Sub-Saharan Africa as well as Arabia and Madagascar. Taxonomy The Namaqua dove is the only species in the monotypic ...

* Orange-breasted waxbill * Pygmy hippopotamus * Radiated tortoise * Red fody *

Red-billed firefinch The red-billed firefinch or Senegal firefinch (''Lagonosticta senegala'') is a small seed-eating bird in the family Estrildidae. This is a resident breeding bird in most of Sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,00 ...

* Red-cheeked cordon-bleu *

Ring-tailed lemur The ring-tailed lemur (''Lemur catta'') is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families, and is the only member of the ''Lemur'' g ...

* Serval * Southern red bishop * Yellow-collared lovebird * Yellow-fronted canary ;American Region Alligator_from_front

* Amazon tree boa *

American alligator The American alligator (''Alligator mississippiensis''), sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator or common alligator, is a large crocodilian reptile native to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two extant species in the ...

Aruba island rattlesnake :''Common names: Aruba rattlesnake,U.S. Navy. 1991. Poisonous Snakes of the World. US Govt. New York: Dover Publications Inc. 203 pp. . Aruba island rattlesnake,Klauber LM. 1997. Rattlesnakes: Their Habitats, Life Histories, and Influence on Mank ...

* Axolotl * Blue poison dart frog * Blue-and-yellow macaw * Blue-crowned parakeet * Bolivian squirrel monkey * Brazilian tapir *

Brown-throated conure The brown-throated parakeet (''Eupsittula pertinax''), also known as the Prikichi, St. Thomas conure or the brown-throated conure, in aviculture, is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. Taxonomy The brown-throated parakeet was form ...

* Cane toad * Corn snake * Crimson-bellied parakeet * Dyeing poison dart frog * Gila monster * Greater capybara * Green anaconda * Green-thighed parrot *

Hyacinth macaw The hyacinth macaw (''Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus''), or hyacinthine macaw, is a parrot native to central and eastern South America. With a length (from the top of its head to the tip of its long pointed tail) of about one meter it is longer t ...

Maned wolf The maned wolf (''Chrysocyon brachyurus'') is a large canine of South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay, and is almost extinct in Uruguay. Its markings resemble those of foxes, but it is neither a fox nor a wo ...

* Maroon-bellied parakeet * Nanday parakeet *

Patagonian mara The Patagonian mara (''Dolichotis patagonum'') is a relatively large rodent in the mara genus ''Dolichotis''. It is also known as the Patagonian cavy, Patagonian hare, or dillaby. This herbivorous, somewhat rabbit-like animal is found in open and ...

Razor-billed curassow The razor-billed curassow (''Mitu tuberosum'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, ...

* Red-bellied macaw * Rhinoceros iguana * Scarlet macaw * South American coati * Sun conure * Yellow-crowned amazon ;Tamarin House Regenthoneyeater

Cotton-top tamarin The cotton-top tamarin (''Saguinus oedipus'') is a small New World monkey weighing less than . This New World monkey can live up to 24 years, but most of them die by 13 years. One of the smallest primates, the cotton-top tamarin is easily recog ...

Emperor tamarin The emperor tamarin (''Saguinus imperator'') is a species of tamarin allegedly named for its resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II. It lives in the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas and the southwest Amazon Basin, in east Per ...

Golden lion tamarin The golden lion tamarin (''Leontopithecus rosalia'', pt, mico-leão-dourado , ), also known as the golden marmoset, is a small New World monkey of the family Callitrichidae. Native to the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil, the golden lion t ...

Pygmy marmoset Pygmy marmosets are two species of small New World monkeys in the genus ''Cebuella''. They are native to Amazon rainforest, rainforests of the western Amazon Basin in South America. These primates are notable for being the smallest monkeys in th ...

;Birds of the Adelaide Hills Aviary * Bush stone-curlew * Diamond firetail * Peaceful dove * Regent honeyeater * Swift parrot ;Australian Rainforest Birds Walkthrough Aviary * Australasian figbird *

Australian king parrot The Australian king parrot (''Alisterus scapularis'') is a species of parrot endemic to eastern Australia ranging from Cooktown in Queensland to Port Campbell in Victoria. Found in humid and heavily forested upland regions of the eastern port ...

Buff-banded rail The buff-banded rail (''Hypotaenidia philippensis'') is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the rail family, Rallidae. This species comprises several subspecies found throughout much of Australasia and the south-w ...

* Eclectus parrot * Pied imperial pigeon * Regent bowerbird * Satin bowerbird * Superb lyrebird *

White-headed pigeon The white-headed pigeon (''Columba leucomela'') is a pigeon native to the east coast of Australia. Taxonomy and systematics The pigeon family is a group of stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a worldwide distribu ...

Wonga pigeon The wonga pigeon (''Leucosarcia melanoleuca'') is a pigeon that inhabits areas in eastern Australia with its range being from Central Queensland to Gippsland, eastern Victoria, Australia. Distribution and habitat Previously they could be fo ...

;Ponds and Wetland Walkthrough Aviary * Australian pelican *

Brolga The brolga (''Antigone rubicunda''), formerly known as the native companion, is a bird in the crane family. It has also been given the name Australian crane, a term coined in 1865 by well-known ornithologist John Gould in his '' Birds of Austra ...

* Cape Barren goose * Chestnut teal *

Glossy ibis The glossy ibis (''Plegadis falcinellus'') is a water bird in the order Pelecaniformes and the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The scientific name derives from Ancient Greek ''plegados'' and Latin, ''falcis'', both meaning "sickle" ...

* Hardhead duck *

Little pied cormorant The little pied cormorant, little shag or kawaupaka (''Microcarbo melanoleucos'') is a common Australasian waterbird, found around the coasts, islands, estuaries, and inland waters of Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Thailand, Myanmar, Singapo ...

Pied heron The pied heron (''Egretta picata''), also known as the pied egret is a bird found in coastal and subcoastal areas of monsoonal northern Australia as well as some parts of Wallacea and New Guinea. Taxonomy The species was originally described ...

* Plumed whistling duck * Royal spoonbill ;Birds of the Australian Desert Aviary * Bourke's parrot *

Budgerigar The budgerigar ( ; ''Melopsittacus undulatus''), also known as the common parakeet or shell parakeet, is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot usually nicknamed the budgie ( ), or in American English, the parakeet. Budgies are the only spe ...

* Cockatiel * Inland dotterel * Pied honeyeater *

Scarlet-chested parrot The scarlet-chested parrot (''Neophema splendida''), known alternately as scarlet-breasted parrot, orange-throated parrot or splendid parrot, is a parrot endemic to central South Australia and inland southern Western Australia. The species is sex ...

* White-plumed honeyeater Bluewingedadelzoo

;Other Australian Habitat Aviaries * Adelaide rosella * Australasian shoveler * Australian king quail * Australian bustard *

Australian owlet-nightjar The Australian owlet-nightjar (''Aegotheles cristatus'') is a nocturnal bird found in open woodland across Australia and in southern New Guinea. It is colloquially known as the moth owl. It is the most common nocturnal bird in Australia, and des ...

* Australian wood duck * Banded lapwing * Banded stilt *

Bar-shouldered dove The bar-shouldered dove (''Geopelia humeralis'') is a species of long tailed dove native to Australia and Southern New Guinea. It is protected under the ''National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974''. It is a medium-sized pigeon varying in size from ...

* Barking owl * Black-and-white fairywren * Black-breasted buttonquail * Black-eared miner * Blue-faced honeyeater * Blue-winged kookaburra * Brown cuckoo-dove * Brush bronzewing * Carnaby's black cockatoo * Chestnut-breasted mannikin * Cloncurry ringneck parrot * Crested bellbird *

Crested pigeon The crested pigeon (''Ocyphaps lophotes'') is a bird found widely throughout mainland Australia except for the far northern tropical areas. Only two Australian pigeon species possess an erect crest, the crested pigeon and the spinifex pigeon. Th ...

* Crimson rosella * Diamond dove *

Double-barred finch The double-barred finch (''Stizoptera bichenovii'') is an estrildid finch found in dry savannah, tropical (lowland) dry grassland and shrubland habitats in northern and eastern Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Bicheno's finch or as th ...

* Dusky woodswallow * Eastern grass owl * Eastern whipbird *

Eastern yellow robin The eastern yellow robin (''Eopsaltria australis'') is an Australasian robin of coastal and sub-coastal eastern Australia. The extent of the eastern yellow robin's residence is from the extreme southeast corner of South Australia through most ...

* Elegant parrot *

Flock pigeon The flock bronzewing (''Phaps histrionica''), also known as the flock pigeon, harlequin bronzewing and the harlequin pigeonCrome, F., Shields, J. (1992). ''Parrots & Pigeons of Australia''. Angus & Robertson Publishers is a species of pigeon in t ...

* Freckled duck *

Gang-gang cockatoo The gang-gang cockatoo (''Callocephalon fimbriatum'') is a parrot found in the cooler and wetter forests and woodlands of Australia, particularly alpine bushland. It is the only species placed in the genus ''Callocephalon''. Mostly mild grey ...

* Golden-shouldered parrot *

Gouldian finch The Gouldian finch (''Chloebia gouldiae''), also known as the Lady Gouldian finch, Gould's finch or the rainbow finch, is a colourful passerine bird that is native to Australia. Taxonomy The Gouldian finch was described by British ornitholog ...

* Green pygmy goose *

Grey butcherbird The grey butcherbird (''Cracticus torquatus'') is a widely distributed species endemic to Australia. It occurs in a range of different habitats including arid, semi-arid and temperate zones. It is found across southern Australia, but is absent f ...

* Hooded dotterel *

Hooded parrot The hooded parrot (''Psephotellus dissimilis'') is a species of parrot native to the Northern Territory in Australia. It is found in savannah and open woodland and is one of two extant species in its genus that breed in termite mounds. It has ...

Hooded robin The hooded robin (''Melanodryas cucullata'') is a small passerine bird native to Australia. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae, it is sexually dimorphic; the male bears a distinctive black-and-white plumage, while the female ...

Laughing kookaburra The laughing kookaburra (''Dacelo novaeguineae'') is a bird in the kingfisher subfamily Halcyoninae. It is a large robust kingfisher with a whitish head and a brown eye-stripe. The upperparts are mostly dark brown but there is a mottled ligh ...

Long-billed corella The long-billed corella or slender-billed corella (''Cacatua tenuirostris'') is a cockatoo native to Australia, which is similar in appearance to the little corella. This species is mostly white, with a reddish-pink face and forehead, and has a ...

Long-tailed finch The long-tailed finch (''Poephila acuticauda'') is a common species of estrildid finch found in northern Australia, from the Kimberley region to the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is a predominantly fawn-coloured bird with a pale grey head and prominen ...

* Magpie goose * Major Mitchell's cockatoo * Malleefowl *

Mulga parrot The mulga parrot (''Psephotellus varius'') is endemic to arid scrublands and lightly timbered grasslands in the interior of southern Australia. The male mulga parrot is multicolored, from which the older common name of many-coloured parrot is der ...

* Musk lorikeet * Naretha bluebonnet *

New Holland honeyeater The New Holland honeyeater (''Phylidonyris novaehollandiae'') is a honeyeater species found throughout southern Australia. It was among the first birds to be scientifically described in Australia, and was initially named ''Certhia novaehollandi ...

* Northern rosella * Olive-backed oriole * Orange-bellied parrot * Painted finch * Partridge pigeon * Port Lincoln ringneck parrot *

Princess parrot The colourful princess parrot (''Polytelis alexandrae'') is an Australian bird of the parrot family. Its name was given in honour of Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who in 1863 married the Prince of Wales Edward VII and eventually became Quee ...

* Purple-crowned lorikeet * Radjah shelduck * Rainbow bee-eater *

* Red-backed kingfisher *

Red-browed finch The red-browed finch (''Neochmia temporalis'') is an estrildid finch that inhabits the east coast of Australia. This species has also been introduced to French Polynesia. It is commonly found in temperate forest and dry savannah habitats. It ma ...

Red-capped parrot The red-capped parrot (''Purpureicephalus spurius'') is a species of broad-tailed parrot native to southwestern Australia. It was described by Heinrich Kuhl in 1820, with no subspecies recognised. It has long been classified in its own genus ...

* Red-collared lorikeet * Red-tailed black cockatoo * Red-winged parrot *

Rose-crowned fruit dove The rose-crowned fruit dove (''Ptilinopus regina''), also known as pink-capped fruit dove or Swainson's fruit dove, is a medium-sized, up to 22 cm long, green fruit dove with a grey head and breast, an orange belly, whitish throat, yellow-or ...

* Spinifex pigeon * Star finch *

Superb fairy-wren The superb fairywren (''Malurus cyaneus'') is a passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae, and is common and familiar across south-eastern Australia. It is a sedentary and territorial species, also exhibiting a high degree of se ...

* Superb parrot * Tawny frogmouth * White-browed woodswallow *

White-winged triller The white-winged triller (''Lalage tricolor'') is one of the smaller members of the cuckooshrike family, Campephagidae. It is found throughout mainland Australia and possibly on the islands to the north, including New Guinea and eastern Indonesi ...

Yellow-tailed black-cockatoo The yellow-tailed black cockatoo (''Zanda funerea'') is a large cockatoo native to the south-east of Australia measuring in length. It has a short crest on the top of its head. Its plumage is mostly brownish black and it has prominent yellow ...

;Envirodome :The Envirodome is an interactive visitor experience housed in the old Ape Block along with the Education Centre. The non-animal exhibits are hands-on and are aimed at the conservation of our environment, hoping to educate the public on simple changes they can make to help the environment. The building itself has been largely recycled and has a green roof, rain-water fed toilets, hay-bale walls and solar panels. Animals housed in the Environdrome include

Yellow seahorse ''Hippocampus kuda'' is a species of seahorse, also known as the common seahorse, estuary seahorse, yellow seahorse or spotted seahorse. The common name sea pony has been used for this species under its synonym ''Hippocampus fuscus''. Physical d ...

Incidents

In January 1902, a keeper was seriously mauled by a

brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is ...

(species no longer kept by the zoo) when misjudging securing the animal adequately for entering the enclosure. The bear was shot by intervening fellow keepers and the man rushed to hospital where he slowly recovered (but lost his right arm and suffered serious other permanent injuries, but lived for another ten and a half years). In September 1909, the '' Strand Magazine'' reported that a snake had swallowed a rug weighing almost 12 pounds, and which survived undamaged in the snake's stomach until disgorged almost a month later. The short article featured a photograph of the disgorged rug which was 5 feet 3 inches long. In February 1920, a keeper was hosing the front of the polar bear enclosure (species no longer kept by the zoo) when one of the bears reached through the bars and grabbed the hose pulling the keeper forward and mauling him, severing his arm above the elbow. A.C Minchin the zoo director and other staff intervened and freed the man who was then rushed to the hospital where he died two days later from his injuries. In 1985, two men broke in and killed 64 animals. In 2005, a boy was impaled when he tried to jump the spiked fence with his friends at night. He did not survive. On 30 October 2008, a 78-year-old blind greater flamingo named " Greater" was beaten, allegedly by a group of teenagers. Four teenagers were charged after visitors reported an incident to zoo staff. The male flamingo was left "extremely stressed". Greater as afforementioned would later pass away on January 30, 2014 at the estimated age of 83 (and the last greater flamingo in Australia)Australia youths 'maul flamingo'
30 October 2008, news.bbc.co.uk On Mother's Day 2009, the female orangutan,

Karta Karta may refer to: Places * Karta, Iran, a village in Izeh County, Khuzestan Province, Iran * Karta, Andika, a village in Andika County, Khuzestan Province, Iran * Kharta or Karta, a Himalayan region in Tibet * Kangaroo Island or Karta, an is ...

, built an escape route out of plant material and tripped the hot wires with a stick. After a short while on the "outside" she dropped back into the exhibit with no harm done. On 12 August 2022, a newly-arrived red panda, Ravi, escaped from its enclosure, before being located in a tree at the Botanic Park on 14 August. The red panda was ultimately tranquilised after keepers failed to entice it down with food. On 11 October 2022, it was reported that Zoos SA was investigating the deaths of seven female quokkas and two yellow-footed rock wallabies during September. The cause of their deaths was believed to be plant toxicity.

Notable animals

The last captive Javan rhino was displayed at the Adelaide Zoo as an Indian rhinoceros due to the lack of knowledge about this species. It died in 1907. The last American beaver at the zoo died in July 2010 and was the last beaver to be held at any zoo (or anywhere) in Australia. Miss C, the last

Hoffmann's two-toed sloth Hoffmann's two-toed sloth (''Choloepus hoffmanni''), also known as the northern two-toed sloth is a species of sloth from Central and South America. It is a solitary, largely nocturnal and arboreal animal, found in mature and secondary rai ...

in Australia and the oldest in the world died in June 2017 aged 43.Adelaide Zoo's 43-year-old sloth, Miss C, to be buried on site
''City Messenger'', 14 June 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2018. Wang Wang and Funi are two giant pandas on loan to Adelaide Zoo in Australia, as part of a conservation program to protect endangered wildlife. Yiray the quokka, one of the Australia-native threatened species at the Adelaide Zoo, gave birth to a baby in March 2022."Baby Quokka Makes Debut at Adelaide Zoo"
'' Northern Territory News''. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.

Notes

References

* Robin, Libby. (2001). ''The Flight of the Emu: a hundred years of Australian ornithology 1901-2001''. Melbourne University Press: Carlton.
"Fact file of the Adelaide Zoo"

External links

* * {{Adelaide landmarks 1883 establishments in Australia Zoos established in 1883 Zoo Zoos in South Australia Buildings and structures in Adelaide Adelaide Park Lands