An acclimatization society
The South Australian Acclimatization and Zoological Society founded the zoo on 6.5 hectares of land granted by the government, and it opened on 23 May 1883. The zoo now covers 8 hectares.
Buildings with a past
Five of the zoo’s buildings are on the South Australian Heritage Register, among them the front entrance on Frome Road and the former Elephant House, built in 1900. The Elephant House no longer holds animals; today it carries educational signs.
A conservation charity
The zoo is run by Zoos SA, the trading name of the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia, a not-for-profit conservation charity that also runs Monarto Safari Park near Murray Bridge.



