Take Our
WHO IN THE ZOO ARE YOU?
Quiz Now!

You’re a Koala! Cute and cuddly-looking, you don’t have a care in the world as you kick back and eat and sleep the day away. The Koala is recognised around the world as a unique Australian icon, and for that reason it is an important ambassador for habitat preservation. Koalas have had a tough go of it lately. Disease and climate change events such as drought and bushfires have had a devastating impact. Habitat loss remains the greatest threat to these beautiful marsupials. With suitable environments shrinking, and forests only able to support a finite number of Koalas, populations are being fragmented, making it harder for Koalas to find food and breed. That’s why Taronga is prioritising the conservation of the Koala as an animal of utmost importance to the Australian landscape. Koalas can be seen at both Taronga Zoo Sydney and at Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo in the Australia precinct.

At Taronga, we believe that we not only have a responsibility but an obligation, both locally and globally, to protect wildlife and habitats that are increasingly under threat. Our Wildlife Hospitals at Dubbo and Sydney are also committed to the rescue and release of injured or ill Koalas.

You’re a Platypus! You have hidden talents to surprise your friends, you’re outgoing and sleek, you’re always looking slick and ready to party! With paddle-shaped tail like a beaver, sleek waterproof fur like an otter and a flat bill and webbed feet like a duck, it is no wonder the British thought it a trick in 1798. The amphibious Platypus is a monotreme and one of the most unusual creatures on Earth. Monotremes are a unique group of mammals that lay soft-shelled eggs. The only other monotremes are the echidnas.

Monotremes are thought to be the most primitive of all mammals. A 122 million-year old fossil from southeastern Australia, shows that in the middle of the dinosaur era, platypuses already existed, and they are specialized mammals, with duckbills and complex adaptations to water life. Platypus can be seen at Taronga Zoo Sydney in the Platypus House and in the Blue Mountains Bush Walk. The Platypus plays an important role in the food web and ecology of Australian freshwater ecosystems. Taronga has made a conservation commitment to the Platypus and we are working hard to protect them in the wild.

Taronga is planning to build new refuges to care for platypus displaced by drought and other disasters. The refuges will also be leading centres for platypus research, and the first-ever facilities to breed platypus for release into the wild. If we can learn more about the environmental and biological triggers that make platypus mate in the wild, then we can more quickly build up healthy populations, and give the platypus the best possible chance of survival.

You’re a Sumatran Tiger! You’re strong and bold! Fearless, fabulous, and ready for action, you are admired by those around you. Unfortunately, your wild tiger brethren are facing a difficult future, but Taronga are fighting for a wildly bright one! With as few as 400 Sumatran Tigers left, we are deadly serious about protecting this wild species and their habitat. - A tiger’s roar can be heard as far as 3km away!
- These big cats love the water and can swim up to 6km
- Tigers can jump over 5m in length Get up close to the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger at Taronga Zoo Sydney's Tiger Trek and Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo.

Taronga is proud to be part of a regional conservation management plan for Sumatran Tigers including breeding, research, fundraising and community action to support sustainably produced palm oil. Taronga’s involvement in the International Conservation Insurance Breeding Program is carefully monitored to ensure the species are managed with high genetic diversity, to provide a healthy and viable insurance population for the future.

You’re a Sumatran Rhino, one of the rarest large mammals on Earth! You’re strong-willed and independent. You’re a natural protector of your family and friends, and that’s why they love you. Sumatran Rhinos have a keen sense of smell and sharp hearing, and leave a network of scented trails throughout the forest in order to find their Rhino buddies. Rhinos risk overheating under the hot tropical sun, and they lack sweat glands that would help them cool off. So, whether they live out on the plains, in marshes or in dense jungles, they routinely seek out water to help rid themselves of excess heat.

Their hide, dark red-brown in colour, is covered with patches of short, dark, stiff hair. The hair helps keep mud caked to the body, which cools the hide and protects it from insects. Taronga is a founding member of the International Rhino Foundation (IRF). We have Black, White and Greater One-horned Rhinos at Taronga’s Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. While we do not have Sumatran Rhino in Sydney or in Dubbo, our vets, pathologists, and reproductive biologists are actively engaged in projects with the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary at Way Kambas National Park, Sumatra. We also support Rhino Protection Units to prevent and prosecute wildlife criminals.

You’re a Marine Turtle! You’re quirky, you love to explore, and you’re super chilled. The ocean is your home and you could spend all your free time at the beach. Your turtle cousins have been on our planet for around 200 million years. They shared time and space with the dinosaurs and have not changed much since. All marine turtle species are experiencing serious threats to their survival. The main threats are pollution and changes to important turtle habitats, especially coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove forests and nesting beaches. Other threats include accidental drowning in fishing gear, over-harvesting of turtles and eggs, and predation of eggs and hatchlings by foxes, feral pigs, dogs and goannas. While Taronga does not have any marine turtles on permanent display, we are committed to their conservation in their natural habitat; particularly through our rescue, rehabilitate and release program.

The Taronga Wildlife Hospital at Taronga Zoo Sydney treats an average of 40 marine turtles each year that have been washed up on beaches or found floating in the ocean. These turtles have often ingested plastic, or been injured by passing boats. Rehabilitating and releasing these animals is a priority of our staff. Once admitted to the Taronga Wildlife Hospital, the turtles are given a full veterinary examination, radiographed, have blood tests and in many cases need to spend weeks in intensive care to ensure their survival. When well enough to clear intensive care, they are moved into rehabilitation pools to prepare for release. This involves eating well, gaining weight and swimming and diving proficiently.

You’re a Sun Bear! You’re clever and curious, you’re strong and dependable. Some people may be intimidated by your gruff exterior, but you’re actually a big softy. Sun Bears are one of the world’s rarest species of bear, the only truly tropical bear, and are one of only two bears that live south of the equator. They are also the world’s smallest bear standing at around 1.5m high. Some of the threats to Sun Bears’ survival in the wild:

- Extreme habitat loss and illegal wildlife trade for the pet industry, for use in gourmet cuisine and traditional medicine continues to threaten the survival of bears in SE Asia.
- Large scale deforestation, logging and conversion of forest to agricultural land have destroyed much of the Sun Bear’s habitat.
- The creation of logging roads has also provided convenient access for poachers.
- Sun Bears are often captured from the wild to be kept as pets, the mother bear being killed in order to obtain cubs young enough to tame.
Taronga Zoo Sydney is home to a beautiful Sun bear named Mary.

However, Taronga’s conservation work for Sun Bears extends beyond our zoos. In partnership with TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, we have created Wildlife Witness; the first global community action tool in the fight against illegal wildlife trade. The Wildlife Witness smartphone app allows tourists and locals to easily report wildlife trade by taking a photo, pinning the exact location of an incident and sending these important details to TRAFFIC.