Joburg Zoo

​​​

Johannesburg ZooPrintE-mail
16 November 2006
zoo8.jpg

Please note: the Joburg Zoo no longer offers zoo buggies.

Quick facts

 

The Johannesburg Zoo is on Jan Smuts Avenue, in Parkview. The main entrance is in Upper Park Drive, Forest Town. For more information, contact 011 646 2000. It has its own website.


Overview

FROM a small public park that opened in 1904 with an odd mix of animals - including a male lion, a female leopard and a male baboon - the Johannesburg Zoo has grown to become the most popular public venue in the city.

It is now a sprawling 54 hectares in central Parktown, with plenty of trees, water features and beautiful walks.


The stars of the show are, of course, the animals and the collection is impressive. There are lions, tigers, elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, sable antelope, bat-eared foxes and polar bears among the 2 070 animals, representing 365 different species.


While its core business is the accommodation, enrichment, husbandry and medical care of wild animals, the Johannesburg Zoo also offers a variety of educational and entertainment programmes.