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Journal / History

History, wildlife & place

A zoo of 1883.
Pandas in its bamboo.

The story of Adelaide Zoo, from an acclimatization society’s garden to a conservation charity’s city zoo.

A family walking along an avenue of tall palms at Adelaide Zoo around 1925, in black and white
A family walking along an avenue of tall palms at Adelaide Zoo around 1925, in black and white.

A zoo for the colony

Adelaide Zoo was founded by the South Australian Acclimatization and Zoological Society, on land granted by the government in the parklands just north of the city centre. It opened on 23 May 1883 and is the second-oldest zoo in Australia, after Melbourne Zoo.

A family walking along an avenue of tall palms at Adelaide Zoo around 1925, in black and white
A garden path leading to a domed building at Adelaide Zoo around 1925, in black and white

Three generations of directors

R. E. Minchin was the zoo’s first director, from 1882 to 1893. His son A. C. Minchin followed him until 1934, and his grandson R. R. L. Minchin until 1940. The Elephant House, built in 1900, is one of five zoo buildings now on the South Australian Heritage Register.

A rainforest and a bamboo forest

The first part of the South-East Asian rainforest exhibit, Immersion, was finished in 1995, and the giant panda exhibit and Bamboo Forest opened in 2009. The giant pandas Xing Qiu and Yi Lan arrived in 2024, and the zoo is run today by Zoos SA, which also runs Monarto Safari Park.

A dwarf Chinese elm among tall bamboo, beside a giant panda information sign at Adelaide Zoo

Continue exploring

A garden path leading to a domed building at Adelaide Zoo around 1925, in black and whiteA zoo in the Park LandsAdelaide Zoo since 1883.The head of a giant panda in profile, close up, at Adelaide ZooWhat to see at the zooPandas, tigers and Australian animals.Plan your visit

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