Ready to discover a timeless land shared by wildlife and people? Welcome to Taronga’s new African Savannah precinct, where animals wander and the guest experience is unrivalled.

The highly anticipated animal migration into the revitalised African Savannah precinct is complete, marking the beginning of a bold new adventure at Taronga Zoo Sydney. A gateway to the Africa in the heart of Sydney, African Savannah lets guests come eye-to-eye with Giraffes, Zebras, Meerkats, Fennec Foxes and Lions all while learning about the conservation challenges facing these iconic species. Learn more about what you can expect in this state-of-the-art new precinct!

The Waterhole at African Savannah provides giraffes and zebras with a state-of-the-art new exhibit and significantly more space. Designed with a strong focus on animal welfare and best practice husbandry, the Waterhole features natural water boundaries between visitors and animals. The brand-new Waterhole will also play a pivotal role in the African Savannah guest experience.

It will be a beautiful place for guests to rest and relax with seating and shade from the big Fig Tree, refreshments available for purchase and plenty of things to see and do from beaded animal sculptures to a walk-in interactive Music Gourd. This is an area where guests can take positive action for African wildlife by purchasing ‘Beads for Wildlife’ products at the Beads for Wildlife Shop.

“Guests will have some spectacular viewing options. They will be able to admire the giraffes with Sydney Harbour in the background and be treated to the sight of wandering savannah animals over a stunning waterhole,” says Gabe Virgona, Taronga’s Unit Supervisor of Elephants and Ungulates.

“My favourite features include the mature trees in and around the habitat, which will provide natural shade as well as delicious snacks for the giraffes as they trim any leaves within their reach.” 

Across the Savannah Plains, Lions have returned to Taronga for the first time since 2015, with brothers Lwazi and Ato settling in to their new home. “I am especially excited to see these big, beautiful cats back at Taronga Zoo Sydney.” Said CEO Cameron Kerr. “Our new Lion habitat utilises diverse topography to replicate the escarpments and rocky outcrops of the ‘kopje’ or high country, while also providing different areas for the Lions to socialise or withdraw depending on their choice of activity. This ensures positive animal welfare for the animals. The two viewing areas offer the chance to see the Lions in all parts of the exhibit, while the large glass windows allow for some amazing close encounters with the animals.”  The slope of the exhibit also gives the impression of endless territory, prioritising animal welfare and helping to ensure the lions feel comfortable in their new home, and the length of fences at the exhibit boundaries has been maximised as Lions like to stalk and explore the extents of their territory.

Taronga’s growing mob of Meerkats has made the move to African Savannah, settling into two brand new, state-of-the-art exhibits. The exhibits feature distinctive red sand that is typical of their habitat in Africa in which Meerkats would naturally make burrows to sleep, escape the sun and escape predators. Meerkats also love to climb, so elevated structures and trees have been incorporated into the exhibit to allow the group to climb and survey their territory – a behaviour which is a big part of their life in the wild. 

Rounding out the residents of the African Savannah are Taronga’s pair of Fennec Fox, who are also settling into their new, specially designed home. The smallest of all the world’s foxes, the Fennec Fox has enormous batlike ears that appear to be on loan from a much larger relative. Not only can these ears can grow to more than 15 centimetres in length and help the foxes to dissipate heat and keep cool in the desert sun of Northern Africa, they were also an important consideration in their exhibit design. Their new habitat features full height glass walls to protect their sensitive ears, as well as heating pads, natural spaces for sitting and gathering as well as logs for darker sleeping spots. 

"It’s my absolute pleasure to welcome guests back to Taronga’s African Savannah,” says Cameron Kerr, CEO of Taronga. “Visitors will no doubt be surprised and delighted by the scale and authenticity of this new precinct, where African species interact as they would in the wild.” To see this awe-inspiring new precinct, plan your visit to Taronga Zoo Sydney today!