TARONGA PARK.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 April 1920, Page 4

TARONGA PARK.

SYDNEY’S WONDERFUL ZOO. SYDNEY, April 13. The incoming visitor, approaching Sydney by water, will pass,- unawares, quite close to Taronga Park. It is tlie biggest and finest zoo south of the line, and one of the remarkable zoos of the world, but it is tucked away in a cosy bay, on the north side of the harbour, and is so hidden under the native hush which has been permitted to remain along the northern shores, that it cannot he seen until one is right at the gates. It is a couple of years now since this zoo was established, and sufficient time has passed to show that the experiment is a great success. Instead of the animals, birds, and reptiles being kept in a succession of noisome cages, they are housed under as nearly natural conditions as captivity will permit. The zoo covers a long, sharply-sloping wellwooded hillside, and, by concrete, water, and clever planting it has been altered to suit the individual beast. The various tribes of monkeys, for instance, live on small areas completely surrounded by deep concreted pits. The monkeys can go down into the pit from the inside, but the outer side is sheer, and smooth, and can’t be climbed. Within the enclosure are great trees, many small, warm caves, and broken ground, and the animals appear to thrive here. Swarms of them may be seen at any time in the highest tree-tops, or scampering over the rocks. There are several stretches of ueep water, so ingeniously arranged tuat they are enclosed within rocks, are completely cut off from the pathways and from each other, and yet may be overlooked by crowds of sightseers. Here, mostly in the water, are such things as Polar bears, sea lions and walruses, seals and beavers. Amid masses of rock, where large dry caves are concealed, are majestic lions and tigers, whose glare at the passing crowds is by no means the usual lack-lustre look of animals in captivity. The aviaries, made of small iron bars, are immense—so large that the biggest eagles fiy about comfortably in them. There are special enclosures for snakes, for jumping things, kangaroos and deer, and for a wide variety of fishes.

The whole place is laid out with flower-beds and lawns to form a beautiful and attractive park, overlooking tlie bush-clad hills and the sparkling blue water of the harbour. There are refreshment booths and a restaurant in one corner, and. these places provide facilities by which the casual visitoi may picnic under the trees, in the open

Taronga Park is already one of Sydney’s show places, and an excellent ferry service, supplemented by trams along tlie North Shore, carried 10,000 there on Good Friday. Six thousand is an average Saturday attendance. It is an ideal spot for children, where they are both entertained and educated. There are regular excursions from various schools.