Taronga Western Plains Zoo
Located near Dubbo in the central west of New South Wales, Taronga Western Plains Zoo is one of Australia’s premier zoos. The zoo is home to over 5,000 animals from over 350 species, many of them rare and endangered. Taronga is part of an international breeding and conservation program to ensure these animals survival.
Getting Around Taronga Western Plains Zoo
Being an open range zoo allows the animals to move freely, which is spread out over a huge area. The circuit road is five kilometres long, with numerous sidetracks showing various exhibits adding many kilometres. We managed to walk over 14km during our visit.
If you don’t feel like, or are unable to walk around the zoo, there are option including drive your own car, hire a bike or golf cart. Each of these has its own appeal, depending on your circumstances and the weather.
Refreshments
Food and drinks are available at the entrance where the Zoo Café and Bar is located, or at the halfway point at the Waterhole. We ate at the Waterhole because it was four hours into our visit and near lunch time.
The tables at the Waterhole are next to cages with meerkats. This is nice, because you can eat while watching them play. If you have children, this area has a small water park and play equipment, allowing them to play while you relax.
Throughout the park are several vending machines and water refill stations, which is great for that quick snack.
If you bring you own food, picnic areas are available, so you to eat surrounded by animals.
The Animals of Taronga Western Plains Zoo
With so many animals to see don’t rush, take your time. This way you will have a great visit while seeing lots of different animals.
Cheetah
We were lucky at the cheetah enclosure because they had just been fed. They were playing a game of tug with a piece of food, even though there was another piece lying nearby.
Cheetahs Fighting Over Food 
Cheetah
Lion
Lion Enclosure 
Female African Lions 
Female African Lion
Sumatran Tiger
More tigers are located in Taronga’s Sydney Zoo, but this one looked very relaxed by itself. Taronga is proud to be part of a regional conservation management plan for Sumatran Tigers including breeding, research, fundraising and community action to support sustainably produced palm oil, which we all know has ruined the tigers natural habitat.
Sumatran Tiger
Rhinoceros
The zoo has three species of rhino on display. Each has its own large enclosure, where you can view them. It was great to see all three species, especially the critically endangered black rhino.
Black Rhinoceros
The black rhinoceros is classified as critically endangered, due to hunting and habitat loss.
Black Rhinoceros 
Black Rhinoceros
Southern White Rhinoceros
The Southern white rhinoceros is the most abundant of the rhino sub-species, with around 20,000 living mostly in South Africa.
White Rhinoceros 
White Rhinoceros
Greater One Horned Rhinoceros
The greater one-horned rhinoceros is native to the Indian subcontinent, and is listed as vulnerable, with under 4,000 animals globally.
Greater One Horned Rhinoceros
Camels
Dromedary camels
Hippopotamus
The hippos were active while we visited, munching grass while slowly walking around.
Common Hippopotamus
Taronga Western Plains Zoo Giraffe Herd
Seeing a herd of giraffes was great, as they acted like a family group[ with adults and calves moving together.
Giraffe
Ostrich
Emu
Two enclosures hold emus, including the walk around Australian section, where you can get up close to one. If you would rather see them from a distance, a large enclosure nearby has a flock of them walking around.
Emu 
Emu
Swamp Wallaby
Swamp Wallaby
Banteng
Banteng
Addax
Addax
Eland
Eland
Bongo
These vividly striped animals were eating breakfast, so we were able to see them up close.
A Vividly Striped Bongo 
Bongo
Takhi / Przewalksi’s Horse
Taronga Western Plains Zoo holds a large herd of Takhi or Przewalksi’s Horse. The story of the Takhi is told on information boards, inside building resembling Yurts, because the horses come from Mongolia.
Takhi or Przewalksi’s Horse
Persian Onager
Persian Onager
White Handed Gibbon
White Handed Gibbon
Meerkats
Always fun to watch, the meerkats put on a fun display, chasing each other and play fighting. There are two meerkat displays, one near the entrance and a second at the Watering Hole Café.
Meerkats Fighting
Otters
Sunning themselves on the grass, the family of otters were sleepy but curious about the people looking at them. Several are staring at the camera while the photo was taken.
Otters
African Wild Dog
African Wild Dog
Galapagos Turtle
The last exhibit before you exit the park is the Galapagos turtles, what a great sight they are. We have seen them on TV shows, but to see them up close really lets you grasp how large they are. They are also very old, with the male around 50 and the female over 100 years old.
Look at the exhibit behind the turtles, because there are several young ones there, around five to seven years old when we visited.
Galapagos Turtle 
Galapagos Turtle
Interesting Statues, Sculptures and Buildings at Taronga Western Plains Zoo
Silhouettes at The Pride Lands 
Wildebeest Silhouettes 
Vulture Sculpture 
Lion Sculpture 
Rhinoceros Sculpture 
Entry to the Fallow Deer Enclosure
What Did We Think?
Taronga Western Plains Zoo is a great place to visit, not just for the animals you see, but because of the understanding you get about how fragile their existence is. On your trip around the zoo, you learn about their endangered environments. At the same time it is enjoyable and kids have great fun here.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
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