Something tells me it's all happening....

We decided that before we left Sydney, we should visit Taronga Zoo, which occupies a headland sloping down to the harbour between two bays.  It was an enjoyable 15-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay to Taronga wharf. From there, a cable car, new since our last visit, whisked us swiftly over the zoo enclosures to the upper gate. Views of the harbour from inside the car are stunning, worth the price of admission in themselves.

 

  

As for the zoo itself, although the animal enclosures have been much improved in recent years, and the zoo makes a good case for conservation of endangered species, I still find it slightly distressing to see some of the animals in these conditions. Exceptions include the elephants: signs around their enclosure explain that all of the adult elephants were rescued from much worse conditions in Thailand.

The first baby elephant born in this zoo is a star attraction at the moment, and he's certainly very cute.

The other highlight for us was the birds-in flight-show, where free-flying assorted raptors and parrots come on cue to a young woman standing in the middle of a small amphitheatre. Having hawks, buzzards, an owl, a condor, a brolga, as well as assorted parrots and pigeons swooping low over your head as they arrive on cue was amazing. There were even a couple of trained rats that ran along that railing in the background, to the squeals of children in the audience.

This yellow-tailed black cockatoo reminded us of the ones that we often saw soaring over our house in Katoomba.