Melbourne Zoo is a zoo in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

. It is located within Royal Park in Parkville, approximately north of the centre of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. It is the primary zoo serving Melbourne. As of 2021, the zoo contains 3742 animals comprising 243

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

, from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and around the world. The zoo is accessible via Royal Park station on the Upfield railway line, and is also accessible via tram routes 58 and 19, as well as by bicycle on the Capital City Trail. Bicycles are not allowed inside the zoo itself. The Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens is a full institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The zoo is set among flower gardens and picnic areas. Many of the animals are now organised in bioclimatic zones: African rainforest ('Gorilla Rainforest') that include

gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...

s and

lemur Lemurs ( ; from Latin ) are Strepsirrhini, wet-nosed primates of the Superfamily (biology), superfamily Lemuroidea ( ), divided into 8 Family (biology), families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are Endemism, ...

s; Asian rainforest that includes

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

s and

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...

s; and the Australian bush with kangaroos,

koala The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...

s, wombats, goannas, native birds and many others. Popular exhibits also include the 'Butterfly House', the 'Reptile House', the 'Great Flight Aviary', 'Wild Sea', 'Treetop Apes and Monkeys' and 'Lion Gorge'. During the summer months they also hold sleep over events at the zoo that allows people to purchase tickets to "camp out" for a night under the stars. The zoo includes a large schools section and caters to many school visitors annually, its immensely popular education program encourages young minds to conserve animals. Visitors can see historical cages including the heritage listed ''Elephant House'', which has been renovated and adapted for use for customers paying to sleep overnight in tents at the zoo in popular ''Roar and Snore'' evenings. These evenings allow the public to see some of the

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

animals at the zoo in evening guided tours by experienced camp hosts.

History

In October 1857, the Zoological Society of Victoria was formed with the aim of introducing animals and plants from overseas. Its first collections of animals were housed in Richmond Paddock. In 1861 the organisation changed its name to the "Acclimatisation Society of Victoria". On 6 October 1862, the organisation opened a new Melbourne Zoo in Royal Park on of land donated by the

City of Melbourne The City of Melbourne is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the Melbourne central business district, central city area of Melbourne. In 2021, the city has an area of and had a populati ...

. Melbourne Zoo was modelled on

London Zoo London Zoo, previously known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens and sometimes called Regent's Park Zoo, is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828 and was originally intended to be used as a colle ...

. Initially the zoo was important for the acclimatisation of domestic animals recovering from their long trip to Australia. It was only with the appointment of Albert Alexander Cochrane Le Souef in 1870 that more exotic animals were procured for public display, and the gardens and picnic areas were developed. 1870 also saw the Society change its name to the "Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria", and was granted the prefix "Royal" in 1910. Tunnecliffe_patting_llama

One of the most famous exhibits from the early 1900s to the 1940s was Queenie the elephant. In the mid-1930s, the Society had financial troubles. In response the ''Zoological Gardens Act 1936'' was passed, handing the Zoo to a newly appointed Zoological Board of Victoria on behalf of the state government in 1937. Melbourne Zoo aerial panorama

In 1964, the acclaimed Lion Park exhibit opened, with an elevated walkway overlooking and separating two exhibits. It was demolished and replaced by a new lion exhibit in 2014. Australia's first gorilla birth occurred at Melbourne Zoo in 1984. Giant pandas were loaned to the zoo from China for an exhibition to celebrate Australia's bicentennial in 1988. In 1989, a 35-year-old man died when he was partially eaten by a lion after he entered its pen. The Trail of the Elephants exhibit was unveiled in 2003 and won numerous awards. On 15 January 2010 Melbourne Zoo welcomed its first elephant calf, Mali. This is the second elephant calf born in Australia, the first being in Sydney in July 2009. Mali is the first female calf born in Australia and the first calf born via artificial insemination. The zoo's elephant herd were relocated to its 'sibling' zoo Werribee Open Range Zoo in February 2025 to live in a new 21 hecatre state-of-the-art home. The Trail of the Elephants precinct was renamed 'Forest of Wonder'. Melbourne Zoo commemorated 150 years of operation in 2012 and this was celebrated in an Australian Zoos collector's edition of stamps released by Australia Post in September 2012. The Zoo completed construction and opened a new carnivores trail in early 2018.

Zoos Victoria

Zoos Victoria administers the Melbourne Zoo, as well as the Werribee Open Range Zoo, which features

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat n ...

creatures in an open-range setting; and Healesville Sanctuary (formerly the Sir Colin MacKenzie Sanctuary), which exhibits Australian fauna on of bushland. The three zoos have been collectively trading as Zoos Victoria since 1973, governed by the Zoological Parks and Gardens Board, which operates under the ''Zoological Parks and Gardens Act 1995''. In July 2022, Kyabram Fauna Park joined Zoos Victoria. Colossal Biosciences and Zoos Victoria began a conservation project in October 2023 to preserve the Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon as well as sequence its genome.

The Carousel

The carousel was manufactured in England and then brought to Australia in 1886 by a family that ran a touring carnival, visiting country towns in Victoria. After touring with the carnival for over 60 years, in 1952 the carousel became part of a fun fair at the Melbourne Zoo, but was still owned by the same families. When the fun fair at the zoo was permanently closed in 1997, the carousel was purchased by the zoo. By that time, the carousel was in a deteriorated condition. It was restored off-site in 2004-2005 with funding from

Heritage Victoria Heritage Victoria is a branch of the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning. It is the regulator responsible for administering the Heritage Act 2017. The Heritage Act provides for the protection and conservation of the cultural heritage ...

and re-opened in August 2005. The carousel is listed by Heritage Victoria as a heritage place.

Exhibits

;Gorilla Rainforest *

Black-and-white ruffed lemur The black-and-white ruffed lemur (''Varecia variegata'') is an endangered species of ruffed lemur, ruffed lemur, one of two which are endemic to the island of Madagascar. Despite having a larger range than the red ruffed lemur, it has a much sma ...

* Black-handed spider monkey *

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 reco ...

* Eastern black-and-white colobus * Eastern Pilbara spiny-tailed skink *

Emperor tamarin The emperor tamarin (''Saguinus imperator'') is a species of tamarin monkey allegedly named for its beard's resemblance to the German Empire, German List_of_German_monarchs#German_Empire,_1871–1918, emperor Wilhelm II, German Emperor, Wilhelm I ...

* Northern white-cheeked gibbon *

Pygmy hippopotamus The pygmy hippopotamus or pygmy hippo (''Choeropsis liberiensis'') is a small Hippopotamidae, hippopotamid which is native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, primarily in Liberia, with small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Co ...

Ring-tailed lemur The ring-tailed lemur (''Lemur catta'') is a medium- to larger-sized strepsirrhine (wet-nosed) primate and the most internationally recognized lemur species, owing to its long, black-and-white, ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of fiv ...

* Southern Pilbara rock goanna *

Western lowland gorilla The western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') that lives in Montane ecosystems#Montane forests, montane, Old-growth forest, primary and sec ...

;Growing Wild *

Aldabra giant tortoise The Aldabra giant tortoise (''Aldabrachelys gigantea'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae and genus '' Aldabrachelys''. The species is endemic to the Seychelles, with the nominate subspecies, ''A. g. gigantea'' native to Alda ...

Blue-and-yellow macaw The blue-and-yellow macaw (''Ara ararauna''), also known as the blue-and-gold macaw, is a large Neotropical parrot with a mostly blue dorsum, light yellow/orange venter, and gradient hues of green on top of its head. It is a member of the large g ...

* Buffon's macaw * Central bearded dragon * Centralian blue-tongued lizard * Chameleon gecko * Fijian crested iguana * Green-winged macaw *

Komodo dragon The Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis''), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large reptile of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo (island), Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Dasami, and Gili ...

Meerkat The meerkat (''Suricata suricatta'') or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. It is characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail, and a brindled coat pattern. The head-and-body ...

* Northern banded knob-tailed gecko * Red-fronted macaw *

Red-tailed black cockatoo The red-tailed black cockatoo (''Calyptorhynchus banksii'') also known as Banksian- or Banks' black cockatoo, is a large black cockatoo native to Australia. Adult males have a characteristic pair of bright red panels on the tail that gives ...

* Scheltopusik * Southern corroboree frog * Victorian grassland earless dragon ;Forest of Wonder * Asian small-clawed otter * Bolivian squirrel monkey * Eclectus parrot * Luzon bleeding-heart dove * Noisy pitta *

Siamang The siamang (, ; ''Symphalangus syndactylus'') is an endangered arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The largest of the gibbons, the siamang can be twice the size of other gibbons, reaching i ...

Sumatran orangutan The Sumatran orangutan (''Pongo abelii'') is one of the three species of orangutans. Critically endangered, and found only in the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, it is rarer than the Bornean orangutan but more common than the recently ...

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 tiger, Bali and Javan tigers are extinct. DNA sequencing, Sequ ...

*the zoo's butterfly house (opened in 1985) is also located in this precinct ;Wild Sea * Australian fur seal * Eastern fiddler ray *

Little penguin The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is the smallest species of penguin. It originates from New Zealand. It is commonly known as the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, owing to its slate-blue plumage and is also known by ...

* Long-nosed fur seal *

Port Jackson shark The Port Jackson shark (''Heterodontus portusjacksoni'') is a nocturnal, oviparous (egg laying) type of bullhead shark of the family (biology) , family Bullhead shark , Heterodontidae, found in the coastal region of southern Australia, including ...

;Australian Bush * Budgerigar *

Emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...

* Gouldian finch *

Koala The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...

* Lace monitor * Long-nosed potoroo * Orange-bellied parrot * Quokka *

Rainbow lorikeet The rainbow lorikeet (''Trichoglossus moluccanus'') is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Six ...

* Southern hairy-nosed wombat *

Tasmanian devil The Tasmanian devil (''Sarcophilus harrisii''; palawa kani: ''purinina'') is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It was formerly present across mainland Australia, but became extinct there around 3,500 years ago; it is now con ...

* Tawny frogmouth *

Western grey kangaroo The western grey kangaroo (''Macropus fuliginosus''), also referred to as a western grey giant kangaroo, black-faced kangaroo, mallee kangaroo, sooty kangaroo and (when referring to the Kangaroo Island subspecies) Kangaroo Island grey kangaroo, i ...

* White-browed woodswallow ;Great Flight Aviary *

Black-faced cormorant The black-faced cormorant (''Phalacrocorax fuscescens''), also known as the black-faced shag, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. Upperparts, including facial skin and bill, are black, with white underparts. It is Endemism, endem ...

* Black-necked stork *

Black swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large Anatidae, waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent ...

* Blue-faced honeyeater * Buff-banded rail * Bush stone curlew * Cattle egret * Eclectus parrot * Freckled duck *

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" a ...

* Leadbeater's cockatoo * Pacific emerald dove * Pied heron * Radjah shelduck * Red-collared lorikeet *

Satin bowerbird The satin bowerbird (''Ptilonorhynchus violaceus'') is a species of passerine bird in the bowerbird family Ptilonorhynchidae that is endemic to eastern Australia. It is the only species placed in the genus ''Ptilonorhynchus''. Taxonomy The sati ...

* Southern cassowary * White-faced heron * Wonga pigeon ;Lion Gorge *

African lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the tip of its tail. It is ...

Binturong The binturong (''Arctictis binturong'') (, ), also known as the bearcat, is a viverridae, viverrid native to South Asia, South and Southeast Asia. It is uncommon in much of its range, and has been assessed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on th ...

Dingo The dingo (either included in the species ''Canis familiaris'', or considered one of the following independent taxa: ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient (basal (phylogenetics), basal) lineage ...

Snow leopard The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia'') is a species of large cat in the genus ''Panthera'' of the family Felidae. The species is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because ...

;DigestED * Ball python * Blood python * Macleay’s water snake * Magnificent tree frog *

Reticulated python The reticulated python (''Malayopython reticulatus'') is a Pythonidae, python species native to South Asia, South and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of largest snakes, longest snake, and the list of largest snakes, third heaviest snake. I ...

;World of Frogs * Australian green tree frog * Baw Baw frog * Boyd's forest dragon * Crucifix frog * Dainty green tree frog * Desert tree frog * Eastern dwarf tree frog * Peron's tree frog * Southern corroboree frog * Spotted tree frog * Stuttering frog ;Reptile House * Black-headed python * Blood python * Broad-headed snake * Canberra grassland dragon * Cantil * Central netted dragon * Centralian knob-tailed gecko * Coastal taipan * Common death adder *

Corn snake The corn snake (''Pantherophis guttatus''), sometimes called red rat snake is a species of North American rat snake in the Family (biology), family Colubridae. The species subdues its small prey by constriction. It is found throughout the sout ...

* Eastern diamondback rattlesnake * Elongated tortoise * Eyelash viper * Fiji crested iguana *

Freshwater crocodile The freshwater crocodile (''Crocodylus johnstoni)'', also known Common name, commonly as the Australian freshwater crocodile, Johnstone's crocodile, and the freshie, is a species of crocodile native to the northern regions of Australia. Unlike ...

* Frill-necked lizard *

Gila monster The Gila monster (''Heloderma suspectum'', ) is a species of venomous lizard native to the Southwestern United States and the northwestern Mexico, Mexican state of Sonora. It is a heavy, slow-moving reptile, up to long, and it is the only ve ...

* Golden coin turtle * Hosmer's skink * Indian star tortoise * Jungle carpet python * Monocled cobra *

Philippine crocodile The Philippine crocodile (''Crocodylus mindorensis''), also known as the Mindoro crocodile, the Philippine freshwater crocodile, the ''bukarot'' in Ilocano language, Ilocano, and more generally as a ''buwaya'' in most Filipino lowland cultures, i ...

* Plumed basilisk * Pueblan milk snake * Rainbow boa * Red-barred dragon * Rhinoceros iguana * Scheltopusik * Shingleback lizard * Short-finned eel * Spiny terrapin * Striped legless lizard * Sunda king cobra *

Tiger snake The tiger snake (''Notechis scutatus'') is a large and highly venomous snake of southern Australia, including its coastal islands and Tasmania. These snakes are often observed and locally well known by their banding, black and yellow like a ti ...

Tokay gecko The tokay gecko (''Gekko gecko'') is a nocturnality, nocturnal arboreal locomotion, arboreal gecko in the genus ''Gekko'', the true geckos. It is native to Asia and some Pacific Islands. Etymology The word "tokay" is an onomatopoeia of the sou ...

* Twist-necked turtle *

Veiled chameleon The veiled chameleon (''Chamaeleo calyptratus'') is a species of chameleon (family Chamaeleonidae) native to the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Other common names include cone-head chameleon, Yemen chameleon, and Yemeni chameleon. ...

;Main Trail *

* Carolina box turtle *

Collared peccary The collared peccary (''Dicotyles tajacu'') is a peccary, a species of artiodactyl (even-toed) mammal in the family Peccary, Tayassuidae found in North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America. It is the only member of the gen ...

Giraffe The giraffe is a large Fauna of Africa, African even-toed ungulate, hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the Largest mammals#Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on ...

Hamadryas baboon The hamadryas baboon (''Papio hamadryas'' ; gawina;Aerts 2019 , Ar Robbaḥ) 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 o ...

* Hermann's tortoise * Horsfield's tortoise * Japanese koi * Nyala *

Platypus The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or monotypi ...

Red panda The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzz ...

Gallery

File:DSC 4942 (16415619924).jpg, Little penguin exhibit File:Melbourne Zoo aviary 1a.jpg, Inside the aviary File:Gorilla Eating (4334174066).jpg, Western lowland gorilla File:Pygmy hippopotamus Melbourne Zoo (11882419955).jpg, Pygmy hippo File:Giraffe08 - melbourne zoo edit.jpg, Giraffe File:Melbourne Zoo meerkats.jpg, Meerkats File:Carousel at Royal Melbourne Zoological Park.jpg, Historic carousel File:Aldabra Giant Tortoise at Melbourne Zoo.jpg, Aldabra giant tortoise File:Lion - melbourne zoo.jpg, African lion File:Snow Leopard at Melbourne Zoo.jpg, Snow leopard File:Red panda 30966214626.jpg, Red pandas File:Red Panda sleeping in tree.png, Red pandas File:Melbourne- Zoo-6-March71 (4412797599).jpg, View of underwater environment. File:Gordo, Australian fur seal at Melbourne Zoo.jpg, Australian fur seal with a zookeeper File:DSC 5059 (17036926121).jpg, Up close viewing at the baboon exhibit. File:Pelican-Melbourne-Zoo-20070224-049.jpg, Australian pelican File:A koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in Melbourne Zoo - Flickr - odako1.jpg, Koala File:Emu - melbourne zoo.jpg, Emu File:Hanson Melbourne Zoo.jpg, Different performances are held at the zoo. File:Fiji crested iguana.jpg, Fiji crested iguana File:Snow leopard side of river.jpg, Snow leopard File:Black-necked stork in The Melbourne Zoo.jpg, Black-necked stork File:Spider monkey on tree.jpg, Black-handed spider monkey File:Tasmanian devil on tree trunk.jpg, Tasmanian devil

Notes

External links

*
List of species at Melbourne Zoo
globalspecies.org {{Authority control 1862 establishments in Australia Educational organizations established in 1862 Zoos established in the 19th century Organisations based in Melbourne Tourist attractions in Melbourne Zoos in Victoria (state) Culture of Melbourne Parks in Melbourne Buildings and structures in the City of Melbourne (LGA)