Long-forgotten tale of two Sydney zoos

Through rarely seen archival material and historical photographs, A Tale of Two Zoos offers a glimpse of Moore Park Zoo (1884 – 1916), the early years of the newly created Taronga Zoological Park and the animals that delighted generations of visitors.
In 1916, amid the great upheaval of World War I, Sydneysiders were fascinated by the remarkable spectacle of hundreds of animals moving through city streets and across the harbour to their new home on the north shore.
From polar bears to kangaroos, seals and cockatoos – animals big and small made the majestic journey across Sydney to a new life in one of the world’s most beautiful zoos.
Jessie, the beloved elephant who delighted crowds for more than 50 years, travelled on foot through the city streets to Bennelong Point where she boarded a ferry to cross the Harbour to her new home. Her 90 minute journey was keenly documented in local press, captivating the public’s hearts and imagination.
A Tale of Two Zoos is the 4th collaboration between the NSW State Archives and Sydney Living Museums bringing life to our history and the stories held within these organisations’ immense and important collections. The images on display are drawn from the recently digitised glass-plate negatives held within the NSW State Archives’ Government Printing Office collection.
“This is a very special, joyful exhibition depicting an extraordinary event in an extraordinary time,” said Adam Lindsay, Executive Director, NSW State Archives and Sydney Living Museums.
Opened in 1884, Sydney’s first public zoo was located on a small section of Moore Park; now the site of Sydney Girls & Boys’ High Schools. The collection included an array of native animals, big cats, bears, monkeys and two Asian elephants – Jumbo and Jessie. 
Whilst popular when it opened, by the early 1900s Moore Park was considered outdated and there was growing criticism of the conditions animals were housed in. The search for a new zoo began.
Numerous sites in Sydney were considered from the Wentworth Estate at Vaucluse, to Harris Park, Tempe, Rockdale and the Illawarra.
The search for a new site fortuitously coincided with the government’s policy to secure Sydney harbour foreshore areas for public recreation. The suburb of Mosman, with its combination of native bushland, harbour views and city proximity, was an ideal choice. 
In 1912, land at Bradleys Head was dedicated for the new zoo.
The contrast between the old Moore Park Zoo, with its small, barred cages with concrete floors, and the spacious modern enclosures of Taronga is starkly evident.
The design of the new zoo was underpinned by new thinking and attitudes towards animal welfare, with innovative and modern approaches in zoology giving Sydney a world-class zoo.
Large enclosures formed from natural and artificial rock allowed animals to roam and climb while deep moats prevented them from escaping. Although escapes did occur.
During construction, the wall of the monkey enclosure had to be raised after the monkeys, some of the first animals moved to Taronga, managed to jump higher than was thought possible.
After four years of planning and building, Taronga Zoological Park opened on October 7, 1916 settling in 228 mammals, 552 birds and 64 reptiles.
With its spacious enclosures, leafy setting and beautiful harbour aspect, Taronga was crowned the finest zoo in the Southern Hemisphere.
The exhibition is open until March 3.