Sydney Harbour Bridge taken from the ZooTaronga Zoo which is located on elevated land along the waterfront in Australia’s famous place, Sydney. It is the first public zoo here in New South Wales which is probable the most famous zoo in Australia. Taronga Zoo is one destination people should head to. Tarongo Zoo has the diverse collection of exotic species and also native Australian animals. The Zoo is located just 12 minutes from the city by ferry. Nestled on the shores of the world's most spectacular harbour, Taronga
Zoo is a wild experience full of exploration. Home to over 2,000 animals amongst lush forests, there is something new and exciting to discover around every corner.
Plan your Visit
I would advice everybody who is going to visit the zoo to Plan your Visit.Taronga Zoo offers a variety of unique zoo tours, functions, presentations and photo opportunities. Plan your visit before you go so that you get the most out of the exciting diversity of experiences the zoo offers.
This time we decided to take the Roar and Snore Package. It was unbelievable. We slept at the zoo over night than spent the following day exploreing in daylight. We got to see all the wild animals in their night environment.Be awakened by the roar of the lions at the wildest slumber party around!
Taronga Zoo offers an exciting overnight program called
Roar & Snore.
Your incredible overnight Zoo experience begins with refreshments on arrival at the Education Centre at 6.30pm. This is followed by an opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the Zoo’s most friendly creatures.
After a Safari Supper you can hike through the zoo on a two hour night zoo safari led by a zoo educator to sneak a nocturnal peak at the animals while they relax after their daylight duties. As a Roar & Snore camper, you’ll sleep in a two to three-person tent (provided) pitched under the stars. You will rise to the warbles, rumbles, squeaks, growls and roars of the animals greeting the day. Your wildlife adventure continues with breakfast before two behind the scenes experiences. You are also welcome to spend the next day exploring the zoo during the daylight hours. I would really recomend The Roar and Snore night to everybody you will never forget it.
LionsOur Roar and Snore Adventure
The difficulty with zoos is that animals do not perform on demand and often there is simply nothing to see. The two-hour night-time tour of the zoo, which follows dinner, poses a bigger problem because of the basic fact that many animals will be sleeping. Straining our eyes to peer in at the sleeping lions 10 metres away through a glass panel in the dark is a reasonable experience, but not great. The snow leopards are also sleeping, as are the tigers, the penguins and komodo dragon (which excitingly, we are told, once escaped by figuring out how to open the door handle on its enclosure). Much of the entertainment comes
from the keepers who tell us many stories about the animals and how they are cared for.
It's fun to be sneaking around at night with the zoo to ourselves but the animal experience needs a bit more thought. the glaring unspectacularness of it all: "It's just like going around a zoo in the dark, "But good, though."
We sleep well on comfortable full-length roll mats. There is no roaring to be heard, but there is certainly some snoring coming from one of the neighbouring tents. We wake at 6am for breakfast and animals are brought out while we eat. Macaulay the koala looks like he needs a good caffeine kick to start the day, too. The next and final phase is a behind-the-scenes tour, which is the highlight of the program for me.
It's now 7.30am and as Sydney showers, breakfasts and gets ready for work, we are feeding carrots to four giraffes. It's a magical experience as we get close and help these elegant creatures lasso the vegies with their lolling tongues.
Elsewhere, the orang-utans are a no-show but Annette tells us they are fascinating, but endangered, creatures who need constant stimulation. A tour of the kitchen for Australian mammals reveals the tightly controlled distribution process of creating the daily menu of fruit and veggies, and the odd mealworm which the roar and snorers are invited to try out. "It tastes just like peanut butter," The grand finale is seeing the chimpanzees let into their enclosure, as they screech, scream and bound around their daytime home. In the background, we can hear the lions roaring, the zoo gates are opened and another day begins at Taronga Zoo.
A constant theme throughout Roar & Snore is the zoo's emphasis on "enrichment" for the animals; so much effort is put into keeping the animals stimulated and happy. And I learn a lot. I learn that not buying palm oil will help protect orang-utans from having their homes bulldozed to make way for the crops. I learn that kodiak bears have honey sandwiches for breakfast. And I find out that the zoo keepers struggle to get the chimps in at night on New Year's Eve, as the animals know there is something going on in the harbour and are keen, like the rest of us, to get a good vantage point.
The whole experience is a privilege. When we say goodbye to the chimps and the zoo and make our way to work on Monday morning, I am not sure whether I am entering civilisation again or leaving it behind.
Koala
The Seals, MiraSeal Show
One of my favourite shows at the Zoo just has to be the Seal Show I never tire seeing the show every time we visit the zoo While they may not star in every show, here are some of the seals you are likely to meet:
Californian Sea Lions like Michi and Andy are the world’s most commonly trained seals. weigh around 250-300kg! Michi’s double flipper stand shows off his strong front flippers that power him through the water for a finale flip!
Australian Sea Lions like Malie are one of the rarest seals in the world. Born in 2001 at Adelaide Zoo, he is still young. When he is fully grown he’ll
weigh around 250kg!
Than there is Miya who was rescued after her mother was taken by a shark. is much admired for her beautiful silvery–blonde coloured coat and big, brown eyes.
She is our favourite.
Animal Encounters
Taronga’s Animal Encounters are a fantastic zoo experience which will make your visit truly memorable. Come face-to-face with reptiles,
koalas, giraffes, seals and meet the keepers and take home a wonderful photograph of experience.
On our recent trip to the Zoo we got to meet the newest addition to Taronga’s family, Rin Tin Tin. He is a male Saltwater Crocodile which has just arrived from Queensland to take up residence with the female Saltwater Crocodile, Barbara. Rin Tin Tin was fasinating. He came above water just so we could take this picture of him. The reptile section of the zoo was very impressive with heaps to see and lots of snakes both
nocturnal and day loving.
The spider monkeys were caged in a very open style form but appeared to be quite quiet where the young are playing a continual game which, more often than not, involves the unwanted adults in some very amusing ways.
A definite highlight for our children was the Koala walkabout with a number of koalas sitting in the bough of trees, clearly visible and obviously very healthy.The coolest part is where for a nominal charge they allow you to get up close and take pictures or have the staff take pictures of you. They have a strict no touching policy and they limit the area to only four tourists at a time. What's strange is they allow you to spend as much time as you want but they won't let anyone else in until you're done! The line was pretty long and slow moving but was well worth it!
Other highlights were the farm animal section and the beautiful flowers which adorned the route.
The line runs along another exhibit of uniquely Australian animals. The Shortbeaked Echidna is a small porcupine-line animal found all over Australia. The Quokka is a small Kangaroo-like animal found is southwestern Australia. The Quokka is threatened with extinction as it is hunted by non-native animals introduced by the Europeans.
The other uniquely Australian animal we wanted to see was the Duckbilled Platypus. I couldn't get any pictures because the Platypus is nocturnal and the display was kept very dark. Other things we saw was Kangaroos, an Emu, a large aviary with native Australian birds, Dingos and even a Tasmanian Devil.
The Five New Elephants
Elephants at the Zoo
The highlight of my visit to the Zoo would have to be the new Elephants that arrived at the Sydney Zoo just before Christmas.
Five Asian Elephants have travelled a long journey from work camps in Thailand, through two periods of quarantine both in Thailand and the Cocos Keeling Islands,
and finally to their new home at Sydney's Taronga Zoo.
The elephants were selected from Thai work camps where they were unemployed due to the cessation of rainforest logging in the 1990s. Most of the elephants had been made to beg in the cities of Thailand just to be fed, as the camp owners did not have enough money to feed them all.
The five elephants were specifically chosen by Zoo staff to form the basis of a Conservation Breeding Program for their species, whose numbers have radically dropped over the past 100 years.
The Zoo and everybody who visit are very excited about their arrival and have made the elephants new home as luxurious and beautiful as possible.
Taronga Zoo is working with other zoos in the region to start a Conservation Breeding for Asian Elephants. With numbers of elephants dropping in the wild, the zoo aims to preserve the genetic health of elephants as a species and at the same time, to support programs in Thailand and elsewhere to protect wild elephants and their habitats.
The elephant exhibit comprises many different sections including a massive heated barn, a swimming pool deep enough for elephants to be fully submerged, a waterfall, mud wallows, a private paddock, exercise yard, a grassy field and a shade pavilion.
There are many trees for scratching and shade, and hundreds of plants. 
Elephant and his Trainer
There is also a 2.3 km walk through the zoo where the elephants walk past other species such as the Gorillas, Little Penguins, Kodiak Bears and various birds.
The elephant exhibit is part of a large new area called Wild Asia. The entire precinct is themed to represent a tropical Asian rainforest that is complemented by an Asian style village and Learning Spot where school lessons teach about the importance of the rainforest habitat.
Visitors are led on a journey through Wild Asia along an immersive trail which starts at the Learning Spot and follows the trail through a Rainforest Aviary and into the forest canopy where Silvery Gibbons swing, then down to a riverside path where Tapir swim, Fishing Cats use their webbed paws to fish and Small-clawed Otters play.
Wild Asia teaches visitors about the different habitats of the rainforest – from the top of the and plants of the rainforest and why it is important to protect them.
Animals of the Dreaming
I have listed some of the activities we enjoyed while at the zoo. There is a charge of course for each one but
the prices are not that bad:
Dream time
Hear stories from the Dreaming and meet some of the real animals from these stories. Learn some animal dance and movement. Identify bush animals from the scats and tracks. Learn about the significance of the Taronga Zoo site from an indigenous perspective. See traditional artifacts.
Spider World
An animal that breathes through its bottom, tastes with its feet and has eyes that glow like sapphires? Head behind-the-scenes and discover the secret world
of spiders. Meet Australia's largest and the world's most venomous spiders and many other fascinating mini-beasts that you never would have guessed lived in your own backyard.
Veterinary Clinic
What happens when a zoo animal gets sick? Find out from one of the experienced zoo nurses. See the operating theatre. Meet some recovering and rehabilitated animals.
Serpentaria
Snakes and lizards are fascinating but sometimes misunderstood. Find out how the zoo look after them - everything from hatching to handling. Visit reptile holding-rooms and keeper preparation areas.
Australian Mammals
Ninety nine percent of Australia's Marsupials are nocturnal. They need special conditions for you to see them at the zoo. Meet an Australian Mammals' keeper who will show you what goes on behind the closed doors of the nocturnal house.
Bedtime for Chimps
Come face to face with the zoo's closest relatives, the chimpanzees. Be there as they move into their night quarters after a day on exhibit. Be warned… they are excited and often very noisy.
Night Walk
Taronga's sounds and sights are different at night. You can join in on a volunteer-led walk to experience Serpentaria, Africa and Wild Asia by moonlight - even the most familiar sights look different. No torches allowed you have to keep things in the dark.
Bird Theatre
The Bird Show - spectacular animals on a spectacular site. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to make this show so amazing. See back of stage and meet some of the stars.
Live Breeding Unit
Mice, cockroaches and flies are food for many zoo animals. You can go and see where the enticing 'snacks' the animals enjoy are bred.
Africa on Show
This is a must if you are game. I am not a very game person normaly, but I would not have missed this for the world. Stand toe to toe with a giraffe… or face to face with a rhino… or at roaring level with a big cat. Join a keeper on this special adults-only tour for an African Encounter with these majestic animals.
Giraffes
There are a lot of good family packages for the zoo that include accommadation as well as meals and pass in to the zoo for familes. We find this one excellent and the price is good.
Packages
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