Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Taronga Zoo (GPS: -33.84354, 151.24134) is the main zoo of Sydney, Australia. Located in Mosman, on the shores of Sydney Harbour, it opened on 7 October, 1916. Covering an area of 21 hectares (52 acres), it is one of the biggest zoos in the world. The zoo is home to some 2,600 animals representing 340 species.

The history of Taronga Zoo goes back to 1884, when the first public zoo opened in Billy Goat Swamp in Moore Park, site of the present Sydney Boys High School and Sydney Girls High School. After visiting the Hamburg Zoo in 1908, Albert Sherbourne Le Souef, the secretary of the zoo at Billy Goat Swamp, was inspired to create a zoo based on the bar-less concept. As Moore Park was too small, the NSW Government granted a new site, a 43-acre plot on the northern side of Sydney Harbour. An additional 9 acres (3.6 ha) was granted in 1916. The name chosen for it, Taronga, means "beautiful view" in an Aboriginal language.

The Taronga Zoo has had several notable events in its history. It was the second zoo in Australia to successfully breed the platypus, in February 2003. It was also the first zoo in Australia to witness the birth of an Asian elephant, in July 2009.

Taronga Zoo is on the Map of Sydney, Australia

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