News

Adelaide Zoo’s veterinary team has performed a general health check on seven-year-old Sumatran Tiger, Kembali. The zoo’s dedicated team performed the check with Kembali under general anaesthetic in the Animal Health Centre. Adelaide Zoo Veterinarian, Dr David McLelland, said the…

Zoo’s conservation calendar: It’s time for Fire Fighters, Farmers, and Nuns Having Fun to move over. For the first time ever, Zoos SA’s team has ‘tastefully disrobed’ for a calendar in a bid to raise funds and to draw attention…

Today we are celebrating Benoky the Ring-tailed lemur who is turning the big 20 today! If you thought you knew everything there was to know about Ring-tailed lemurs, have a read through these fun facts and test your knowledge! Benoky…

Adelaide Zoo launches wild wellness program – meditate with monkeys and greendesk with the gibbons… As Adelaide’s Wellfest launches and World Mental Health Month is in full swing, Zoos SA is inviting members, visitors, staff and volunteers to go wild…

The rain clouds parted just enough for keepers to celebrate the seventh birthday of Arella the Golden-Lion Tamarin at Adelaide Zoo this morning. Just like a hectic children’s party, there were loud squeaks and plenty of chaos as the seven…

International Zookeeper Day is celebrated annually on the 4 October to tie with the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. It was St Francis of Assisi who is believed to have advocated that it was our duty to protect and…

It’s Save the Koala Day! This day is all about raising awareness for the iconic species and discussing ways that we can help to save them from extinction. At Zoos SA we believe that connecting people (of all ages) with nature…

Spring has sprung, which for Giant Pandas Fu Ni and Wang Wang means one thing: breeding season. Much the same as last year, COVID-19 travel restrictions mean that a reproductive specialist from the China Conservation and Research Centre for the…

Adelaide Zoo’s Little Penguin colony has grown by one adorable ball of feathers with an 8 week old chick, yet to be sexed, waddling about behind the scenes. Born on July 8 to parents Shuffles (Mum) and Cashew (Dad), the…

It’s the fluffiest black and white date in the diary … Adelaide Zoo staff, volunteers, members, supporters and visitors are celebrating the birthdays of Giant Pandas Fu Ni and Wang Wang with their annual Teddy Bears’ Picnic event. The Teddy…

It’s International Orangutan Day and Adelaide Zoo Primate Keeper Pij Olijnyk is keen to tell us about Puspa and Kluet, the two Sumatran Orangutans who reside at Adelaide Zoo and how we can help them and their wild cousins… “Orangutans are…

It was not one but two celebrations at Adelaide Zoo with keepers celebrating the birthdays of two Dusky Leaf-monkeys, Tevy and Jingga. Keeper Rachael Mayger said “Tevy is ten today and Jingga is 15 on Sunday. I’ve given them a…

Adelaide Zoo’s romp of Asian Small-clawed Otters received a check up in the Animal Health Centre with veterinarian David McLelland. “We have a group of six Asian Small-clawed Otters at Adelaide Zoo and several were due for contraceptive implants and…

At Zoos SA, the welfare of our animals is our top priority. And with over 3,000 animals across 300 species, taking into consideration every individual’s needs is no small task. As different as African Lions are to Green Anacondas, so…

The lanterns are up, lights are shining and the zoo is a hive of excitement – Light Creatures is almost here! Wondering how we made sure the event is fun for visitors but still comfortable for our animals? Listen to…

School holidays got off to a howlingly great start as two dingo pups made their ‘Dingo Debut’ at Adelaide Zoo. “The transition to their new exhibit this morning went really well,” said Michelle Birkett, Senior Keeper Nature Theatre, Adelaide Zoo….

Adelaide Zoo’s meerkat mob has enjoyed some wild enrichment to celebrate the fifth ever annual World Meerkat Day. The little ones were treated to colourful cars and papier-maché balls filled with one of their favourite treats – kibble. Adelaide Zoo…

Adelaide Zoo is excited to announce that Mishry, a two-year-old Red Panda, has moved into the Bamboo Forest exhibit at Adelaide Zoo. “Mishry arrived on the 13th April from Tarongo Zoo. She spent four weeks in quarantine and has now…

Conservation efforts for the survival of the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot has seen four birds born at Adelaide Zoo join 32 others for release across three sites on the Victorian coast. The birds have been released at the Spit Nature…

 Visitors to Adelaide Zoo will have one more animal to see over the school holidays as a little Quokka joey has been spotted sticking his head out from mum Poppy’s pouch. “It’s around five months old that Quokka joeys can…

When you need eye treatment you visit the ophthalmologist, but in the case of Amani, Adelaide Zoo’s African Lioness, the ophthalmologist definitely needed to pay a ‘home visit’. Amani, 19-years-old, was taken to Adelaide Zoo’s Animal Health Centre last week…

Adelaide Zoo has announced the name of its seven-week-old giraffe calf after counting the entries in a public vote to find a fitting name. The young giraffe calf is called Azizi, Swahili for beloved, precious one, treasure and valuable. “Although…

As well as being loved, the animals at Adelaide Zoo are powerful ambassadors for their cousins in the wild. We are therefore deeply saddened to share with you the sudden passing of Rhani, our 13-year-old female Sumatran Tiger. Rhani’s condition…

We have our names! In early December 2020, proud parents Arella and Roscoe the Golden Lion-tamarins welcomed three adorable babies to the family. Typically, breeding Golden Lion-tamarins deliver two infants in each of their twice annual breeding seasons, so the…

Not one, not two but three Golden Lion Tamarin triplets have been born to parents Arella and Roscoe at Adelaide Zoo. The three babies, currently of undetermined sex, were born on 4 December 2020 – a very welcome addition to…

What a year! We think 2020 is best summed-up in prose, but before we get to that we’d like to say a giraffe-sized thank you to our incredible visitors, sponsors and supporters of 2020. We wouldn’t have got through it…

Christmas has come early for the animals at both Zoos SA’s sites which were treated to a delivery of Christmas presents filled with enriching foods and fun. “Both our sites are open 365 days a year including Christmas Day, so we…

The monikers have been considered and the results are in – our two Small-clawed Otter pups have names! Last month, keepers made the call out to the public to help them choose the perfect names for our youngest otter pair,…

Christmas is just around the corner (we know – we can’t believe it either!) and our 2020 Christmas Gift Guide is serving up some wild gift inspiration for you this holiday season. From incredible behind-the-scenes animal experiences to adopting a…

It’s the first day of the silly season and some very special Adelaide Zoo animals tucked into delicious enrichment to celebrate the arrival of Zoos SA’s 2020 Christmas Gift Guide. African Lions Amani and Mujambi along with Ring-tailed Lemurs Ejeda,…

We’re delighted to announce that due to the easing of SA Health’s Circuit Breaker restrictions both Adelaide Zoo and our sister site Monarto Safari Park will reopen to the public on Monday 23 November 2020 at 9:30am. While both sites…

Friends, we’re closing our doors again. In response to yesterday’s announcement from SA Health and the State Government, Adelaide Zoo and our sister site Monarto Safari Park will be closed to the public from 5pm today for the next 6…

No less than 40 Greater Stick-nest Rats have been released into the wild after being bred at Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Safari Park as part of a vital conservation program. Now we know what some of you might be thinking: rats……

Keepers and visitors have celebrated the first birthday of Nolean, Adelaide Zoo’s beautiful giraffe calf. “Zoos SA’s BEEZA group created some fabulous enrichment and decorations to mark the day which Nolean has really enjoyed. There are cardboard cutouts of animals, a big…

Who’s small, has the greatest hair going around and is in tip-top health? Peppa the five-year-old Cotton-top Tamarin who recently had her first visit with the Adelaide Zoo vet team! During a routine check-up, Peppa was given a physical examination…

It might be Vet Nurse Day but there’s no rest for the wonderful vet nurses at Zoos SA with a Brush-tailed Bettong getting a health check. “Zoos SA is very lucky to employ 10 talented and highly skilled veterinary nurses…

Adelaide Zoo has a new feathered face of conservation – Spence the rescued South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo! Young Spence was found by landholders in the south-east of South Australia on the ground with a very severely injured wing. The landholders,…

Look out, Scott Cam – there are some new construction masters in town! Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Safari Park recently welcomed 30 wild Greater Stick-nest Rats to the family as part of a conservation program working to save their species….

Orange-bellied Parrots: A new study* by scientist Dejan Stojanovic into the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot has highlighted the need to learn more about the tiny parrots when they undertake their unenviable mission of flying across Bass Strait from their breeding…

If you go down to Adelaide Zoo today you’re in for a big surprise… Adelaide Zoo staff, volunteers, members and visitors celebrated the birthdays of Giant Pandas Fu Ni and Wang Wang with their annual Teddy Bears’ Picnic event. The…

Towering beauty Kimya, one of Adelaide Zoo’s two giraffes, celebrated her 16th birthday today with keepers treating her to 16 juicy carrots – one for every year of her life. “Kimya absolutely loves carrots so this is the best birthday…

Back in 2015, Adelaide Zoo was involved in a world first – the use of a surrogate wallaby mother to raise a five-week-old orphaned Goodfellow’s Tree-kangaroo. The only chance of survival for the little joey, named Makaia, was to try…

Adelaide Zoo’s two Servals were given a health check by vets at its Animal Health Centre with both cats getting the lick of approval from veterinarian David McLelland. “It’s routine to give all our animals regular health checks. For the…

Male Sumatran Orangutan Kluet is celebrating his 25th birthday. “This morning we gave Sumatran Orangutan Kluet enrichment boxes filled with treats including tropical fruits, popcorn, a cosy blanket and his favourite Banana Palm,” said keeper Brittney Marangon. “Kluet loves people…

Kimya, Adelaide Zoo’s sole giraffe has a brand new room-mate – eight-month-old hand-raised female Nolean. Earlier today, keepers from Monarto Safari Park undertook the delicate operation of transporting Nolean to Adelaide Zoo. Both Adelaide Zoo giraffes are now off display…

As an aquatic ecosystem and marine animal expert, Adelaide Zoo Curator Mark Smith certainly knows a thing or two about sea lions. He shares below how we came to our recent decision of keeping beloved Australian Sea Lions Ady and…

Nearly 13 weeks since it closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Adelaide Zoo is excited to announce that it will reopen its gates on Monday, 22 June 2020 reuniting animals with wildlife and conservation lovers. Monarto Safari Park will open…

Three of Adelaide Zoo’s Mandrills have received a health check from Zoos SA’s dedicated vets “We had the three females Mayombe, Moabi and Niari in our Animal Health Centre to carry out a general health check. We do this about…

Zoos SA saddened that it will not reopen under current suggested restrictions Zoos SA would like to provide an update about Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Safari Park’s potential reopening. After careful consultation with the State’s Transition Committee, we find ourselves…

Three adorable nine-week-old Small-clawed Otters pups have aced their first health check at Adelaide Zoo this morning – on World Otter Day! A day that aims to raise awareness of the plight of otters. The three otter pups underwent the…