Adelaide Zoo

Adelaide Zoo is a wonderful and extremely popular school holiday venue! Today was no exception — sooo many people today!
Could not believe our luck to have a parking spot almost outside the entrance! What luck for two small children with not having to walk too far enforce getting there.
The parklands of Adelaide Zoo are so well maintained. Grounds clean and free of rubbish the plants and trees have lush growth .
We were in luck — the Pandas were both out and about, and moving around which delighted all onlookers.
Our favourite today was watching keepers working with the Lion Seals. Their speed and grace in the water is phenomenal .
They respond so well to the training of the keepers.
Our lunch today was at the restaurant which provides air conditioned comfort and clean toilets.
Kids Meal wasPANDA PICNIC consisting of spring rolls, chips, pandamington and fruit Chocs!
All in all a wonderful time in the beautiful Adelaide Zooological Gardens.

This place has certainly had a facelift since I was last here, but half the reason for that probably has to do with the Pandas that were loaned to the zoo. In fact it was when the Pandas arrived that everybody suddenly had that desire to go to the zoo again (namely to see the pandas, but then again who wouldn’t want to look at a panda behind a glass case). One thing the did was that they moved the entrance around to the side so that you can now actually park your car out the front (if you can find a parking space that is). Anyway, its pretty cool, especially since the first enclosure you encounter is the one inhabited by hippos (though they spent most of their time under wanter when I was here, which was a shame). You can also enter a competition to feed the lions, though feeding the lions basically involves you opening a chute and dumping some meat into it (though I probably wouldn’t want to get into that cage holding a huge chunk of meat).

Beautiful zoo this time of year with the jacarandas flowering everywhere. Each time I come here I see improvements which is nice. The tamarind walkways are really cute for example :)

Borrow one of your friends kids, or a niece/​nephew or even take your own kids and wear them out! You’ll get 10 times more enjoyment from the experience and all their «ooos» and «ahhhs» and also have parents singing your praises when you return home with them asleep in the car.
It isn’t the cheapest outing but you can easily spend an entire day here if you have the stamina and patience for it. For those on a budget pack a picnic lunch and plenty of snacks and you don’t have to spend any additional money apart from ticket entry.
My highlights (no the pandas won’t be on this list)?
— the newly upgraded petting zoo with wallabies in one area and goats in the other (and now hand washing facilities — thank god)
— the monkey enclosures where you walk along a board walk to almost feel immersed in their jungle
— the entertaining meerkats and otters
Not all the enclosures are completely upgraded yet but you can see how much effort the zoo is trying to make to ensure there are bigger spaces and facilities for the animals. Their behind the scenes breeding program is also admirable (look up about the Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby). It’s a shame the lions are going but I totally get it and Monarto is just as awesome a zoo to trek to.
The Miss 7 and Miss 9 really enjoyed their day out reading about stories of certain animals like the tigers, monkeys and pandas in the newer enclosures and it was great to see all the animals up close. According to the 3 and 4 year olds I took here we got to ride on elephants and pat lions (their Mum says that means they enjoyed themselves). Yes I have access to a big family of young kids that aren’t mine, but if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have rekindled my love of the Adelaide Zoo and taking a day out to walk amongst the animals.

PANDAS PANDAS EVERYWHERE. HANG ON… NO THERE NOT
When I was a kid, I always loved coming to the zoo. It was the excitement of seeing all the animals, that you only ever saw on TV or books. Then I grew up and realized that zoos are not as wonderful as they seemed when I was young. The enclosures seemed to be too small and kind of cruel, and the animals never seemed happy. Thankfully the Adelaide Zoo has slowly changed its ideas on zoos and it is actually picked up its game a lot.
Of course there are still some animals in small enclosures, and they do have plans to update those enclosures, but it does take money. With all that said the NEW entrance and panda exhibits are quite beautiful. The SE Asian exhibit is still really cool, and the tiger /​orangutan enclosures are really modern as well.
Look I would have given the Adelaide Zoo a higher score, but there is still a lot of things wrong, I understand the lions, giraffes and other African animals are swapped between Monarto and Adelaide Zoo, but I still feel sorry for them, when they come from the vast expanses that is Monarto Zoo and are put in Moderate sized, or full cement enclosures. They do have reasons for moving them though and that is education, which is really important.
Overall the Zoo is still worth a visit, and the more people visit the better the zoo will become… Also get in and see the Panda’s if you haven’t yet! They are only here for another 6 years.

Today I spent 3 hours at Adelaide Zoo — its only a small place and can be seen quite easily in this time — but good things often come in small packages! While Monarto Zoo is gradually taking on all of the bigger animals, Adelaide City Zoo (which is smaller than the giraffe enclosure at Monarto) is taking on the smaller animals. It is a very pretty place and is tucked nice and snug next to the Torrens River! I have been numerous times before but its just one of those nice little places that I just love to visit virtually every time I go to Adelaide!
The big drawcard these days are the 2 giant pandas — on loan from a Chinese zoo for 10 years. Their enclosure is great and also features some smaller enclosures for the red pandas! Im hoping that after the 10 years is up, Adelaide Zoo gets some snow leopards and house them in these giant panda exhibits — it would be a perfect fit!
The other big drawcard is a wonderful Southeast Asian exhibit which includes as its centre piece, an enclosure with a huge morton bay fig tree with a pair of Malaysian tapirs foraging underneath it and a group of dusky langur monkeys playing around on the ground and in the tree itself! The group also included a baby. Opposite this are a pair of beautiful islands on a lake with waterlilies — very beautiful. The two islands are home to siamang gibbons and white cheeked gibbons respectively. The rest of the Southeast Asian exhibit includes Sumatran tigers and Malaysian sun bears.
After seeing these two areas, we went down to the childrens zoo (I was there with my 3 year old twins) and had a look at some very kitch little guinea pig enclosures complete with little dolls houses for them to live in. It also included a quokka enclosure where people could go in and feed the quokkas. The Childrens Zoo was actually a really good one — with deer, goats, alpacas, bunnies, chickens etc — and it wasnt just a filler either — it was a genuinely good exhibit.
For lunch we sat in the main café area near the rotunda in the middle of the zoo and I had a nice roast meat roll (beef) for $ 6.50 which really hit the spot and a Farmers Union Iced Coffee (I love Adelaide for inventing this drink).
We then went over to see the giraffes and I really love how they have the meerkat enclosure right in front of the giraffe house — its a great photo having a meerkat in the foreground and a giraffe in the background — and the vegetation in the enclosures of each is natural and realistic looking. Just around the corner from there is the tamarin house with pygmy marmosets, golden tamarins, squirrel monkeys etc (tamarins are small South American monkeys for those who dont know)
I was really impressed with the yellow footed rock wallaby enclosure too — it has a lot of space and nice rocks for the wallabies.
Of the rest, the noctural house is pretty good (it was funny listening to a group of school boys going on about how much the hopping mice were mating with the funniest comment being «they should call them humping mice»). My kids actually got a lot out of the nocturnal house — as most of the night animals were pretty active. The lions were interesting to look at and we got a pretty good look at the tree kangaroos. It was nice to see a fennec fox again after Melbourne Zoo stopped displaying them and I noticed that they are building a coati enclosure to take on board some of Melbourne Zoos plague of coatis! The enclosure for the ring-​tailed lemurs is lovely and I dont think Ive seen it before today and the Brazilian tapirs also have a nice space. The only exhibit which is probably too small is the hippo enclosure, but it isnt tiny…
All in all, its a really nice little zoo and its working really well with its small size by incorporating some great exhibits for animals which dont need much space!

«Going to the zoo, zoo, zoo. How about you, you, you? «90s Playschool reference anyone? That time they went to Taronga Zoo in Sydney? And how everytime you go to a Zoo you think of Colin, Trish and John singing to you as they explored the wonderous place of animals and start humming the song? Just me. Darn.
I love zoos, they have this nostalgic feel to me and after so many school trips here and special excursions with assorted family members. The Zoo hasn’t changed too much from when I was small but there are some new exhibitions (besides the pandas) with a strong focus on sustainability and the environment. A few of the exhibitions do look a touch tired and some of the bird exhibits had to make way for the pandas and I miss the macaws.
On taking my niecephews to the zoo recently I wasn’t quite as excited as I used to be, but seeing the kids run around pointing and oohing at the animals was delightful and it was declared the best day ever by all three. Opinions were mixed but the three year old girl liked the meerkats best, the five year old boy liked that he got to pat a kangaroo and an echidna and the two and a half year old liked the tortoise as he did a big poo and this was hilarious. All in all a great day out for the children and a pleasant walk for the grown ups.

The Greatest Mistake Ever Made.
The Adelaide Zoo seems to have seen its glory days and is now existing in an area very close to bankruptcy.
After spending over $ 8million on upgrading the zoo to accomodate its new underwhelming panda guests, it’s all been downhill.
First of all the pandas are not that exciting. The system the zoo has created to view the pandas is terrible as well. They line up a few hundred guests outside the enclosure who require special tickets just for the pleasure to do so. The group of guests are then lead into the enclosure en masse to battle one another for a front row viewing position, only to see a giant black and white bean bag with ears asleep on a rock. If you aren’t at the very front of the viewing party, you will struggle to catch a decent glimpse at all.
Everyone is then told to move on after a few minutes, and that’s all the panda you get for the day.
It’s god damn insane.
I think it would be far more efficient for them to run the panda enclosure in the exact same way as every other enclosure in the zoo, and that is to just let people come and go as they please. There would never be hundreds of people there at a time, and guests would actually be able to SEE these over-​priced Chinese beasts.
The zoo is now in millions of dollars worth of debt, and instead of using effective marketing techniques to attract more customers, they raise their prices even more and take millions of dollars of tax payers money from the state government.
Two payments of $ 500,000 so far, I believe, to pay for their poor management.
At $ 31.50 per adult for entry, the price is unarguably TOO HIGH.
I know that The Adelaide Zoo is a great icon for Adelaide, and is very important for our state economy, but it seems that these pandas were a bad idea. Sure they brought in a quick fix of excited patrons when they first arrived, but that can and has only lasted so long.

There’s no way this zoo is the best in Australia, by far (that award goes to the Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo). But really, it’s not that bad! There are some really cool animals to see here, and every time I go I have a fantastic time. Now, I haven’t been back since the pandas arrived, but even before then I thought the selection of animals were good, the cages weren’t too bad, but it is a little bit expensive. It’s not a big zoo, but again, there are some cool animals to go see. I personally love the mountain goat things. Can’t remember what exactly they are called. standing loud and proud on their huge pile of rocks as soon as you walk in. Terribly adorable. The meercats are also adorable.
If you’re into animals, and want to help the zoo out, then you can go online and adopt animals, which I think is super cool and an awesome gift to get an animal lover.
I personally think getting a annual pass is a great idea, because where else could be better to go, relax, read a book, do your studies, with a lion watching you?
Good job Adelaide Zoo.

There are a thousand and one reviews here already. Does the zoo need one more? Yes. Because I have a story to tell.
You may not be able to tell from my profile picture, but I’ve a great, long mane of shaggy, red hair. And my zodiac sign is Leo. So, I’ve always kind of had a fascination for lions. I’ve liked to identify myself as one too. Lame, I know. But it’s true.
I hadn’t been to the zoo in years. It can be expensive to get in, y’see. But they were letting redheads get in for free to promote awareness for the endangerment of orangutans. I took advantage.
I was very eager to see the lion, but our route was calculated in such as way that we wouldn’t see the lions until the end of the day. Finally, after all the other animals, which were kind of impressive, we came to the lion. The lionesses were right up to the front of the cage, and there was a pack of spectators enjoying the show. In the neighbouring cage, however, the male lion was sitting way in the back and paying no heed to his viewers.
Until I walked up to the cage. I don’t know if the lion smelled admiration in me, or if it was some other stroke of luck, but the lion suddenly tensed and turned it’s great, fearsome head around to stare right at me.
I froze.
The lion raised itself until it was standing on its four powerful legs and, without breaking eye contact with me, slowly approached the wall of the cage. It maintained eye contact with me the entire time, and we were but feet apart, staring at each other.
It was the greatest moment of my life.
And it was ruined by a friend. He put a top hat on my head, and I glared at him for embarrassing me in front of the noble creature. I tried to look back at the lion after having broken eye contact, but he’d lost interest. Still, I’ll never forget that moment.

The Adelaide Zoo is synonymous with Pandas, bloody Pandas who’re going back home to China in seven years time and if they don’t produce a prodigy, the Zoo is pretty much stuffed.
I have not been to the Zoo since their extensive renovations and managed to get in by accompanying my son on a school excursion — just to avoid paying over $ 30 to get into the Zoo was not my only intention. I was impressed by the changes but was disappointed hardly any of the other enclosures had changed at all.
Sure it’s a great place to visit and take the family or visiting guests but once is enough and over the last three years I’d say they’ve had most South Australians go through its gates for the Pandemonium but it’s old news now.
I didn’t realise Funi and Wang Wang were kept in separate enclosures and was informed it’s because they fight! It will be a miracle when and if they do produce a baby Panda, perhaps they need Panda porn or something… oh I don’t know but it seems an awful waste of time and money on one focus.
Now if they had a breeding pair of elephants and built an massive state of the art enclosure for them in the city Zoo (as opposed to Monarto which sadly ended in tragedy) and owned them outright, that may have been a better option to attract repeat patrons and no long distance travelling involved.

Look, if you’re going to see the pandas with those all too suggestive names (Wang Wang and Funi) you’re better off going to China, because these guys are either depressed (highly likely seeing as they landed themselves in the Adelaide Zoo) or they’ve been hit with a tranquilizer dart, because all they do is nothing.
I took my niece to see them, I nearly had a heart attack when I was reaching into my bank account to pay the entry fee, the zoo in Belgium didn’t cost nearly so much and their panda’s are actually awake! Also if you are taking the kids then make sure you put their blinkers on when you’re leaving so they don’t see the gift shop to their left.
Apart from the disappointment with the pandas, it is a nice walk and good way to spend the day once in a blue moon when you are cashed up to the nines.

This is a great spot to go, even if you don’t have kids. It’s a great way to spend a day, although like everyone says, it’s a bit spendy if you’re taking the family.
The pandas are pretty awesome, and I’m jealous of the people who get to get close to them, but there’s plenty of other stuff to see too.
The souvenir shop is pretty much the same as every other zoo in Australia — good if you’re a tourist and you’re looking for a momento. Not so fun if you’ve got a few kids with you and they feel the need to touch every single thing and work out how they’ll best spend their ten bucks.
I know I’ve used the word ‘great’ a lot, but it really is a good place.

I love this place. I think everyone who visits Adelaide is doing themselves a disservice if they do not have at least one good afternoon at the zoo. And to me, the biggest attraction is the panda exhibit. I’ve heard that you can feed the pandas a special sort of cake, but the experience is supposed to be pretty expensive. I couldn’t find much on the website about it, however. In any case, for $ 500, I’d want to feed on the pandas, not feed them.
It’s well worth having a look. As with any good zoo, it costs a bit, but I’m guessing that they’re pretty expensive places to run, and it’s always an educational experience.

Being a local I may be biased but I love our zoo! There’s all the usual stuff zoo’s have, souvenir shop, café/​diner, and surprise surprise, animals! And yes we have the panda’s in Adelaide (at least for the next few years I believe). It is expensive for day our with the family and the cost quickly adds up but it’s also not something you do every weekend.
If money is tight take a packed lunch with you — there are some beautiful shadey places to sit with plenty of grass and trees. Sometimes they have a cheaper sausage sizzle available in the big rotunda.
And the best idea… in daylight savings /​summer they have twilight nights where the zoo is open until later hours in the evening. You see some of the animals differently at this time. They also usually have bands or some form of entertainment at these twilight nights as well. Makes it more for your money.