[6] After realising that the Moore Park site was too small, the NSW Government granted 43 acres (17 ha) of land north of Sydney Harbour.

The rustic effect was created by embedding stones in the wall and like the aquarium, its design was reminiscent of Italian grottoes.

New exhibits were built starting with the Platypus and Nocturnal houses, waterfowl ponds and walkthrough Rainforest Aviary.

Previous attractions such as elephant rides, miniature trains, monkey circus and merry-go-round gave way to educational facilities such as Friendship Farm and Seal Theatre (these latter two exhibits completed in the late 1970s).

[7] A gondola lift (known as the Sky Safari) was installed in 1987 and updated in 2000, transporting passengers between the bottom of the park close to the ferry wharf, and to the top end of the zoo.

Under the plan, the zoo received five Asian elephants from the Thailand Zoological Park Organisation for breeding purposes, education, long-term research and involvement of conservation programs.

The plan has met opposition from environmental activists in Thailand, who blockaded the trucks hauling the elephants to Bangkok International Airport for their flight on 5 June 2006.

[11] The elephants along with other Asian rain forest specimens are housed in the Wild Asia precinct which opened in July 2005 (the elephants arriving from quarantine in November 2006) and aims to immerse visitors in an Asian rain forest environment (though later renamed Rainforest Trail as included species from tropical Africa).

The membership also includes benefits such as half price parking, discounts in shops and cafes, exclusive access to events, and more.

These programs focus on conservation, animal care, and wildlife management, providing hands-on education to future zoo professionals.

[15] At 3.04 am on 4 July 2009, Thong Dee, an Asian elephant, gave birth to a male calf named Luk Chai.

Thong Dee, and his father Gung, were two of the eight elephants imported into Australia to participate in the Australasian Conservation Breeding Program.

Zoo keepers and veterinarians were concerned about the progress of the labour, with Porntip showing unusual movements and behaviour.

Leopard seals are native to Antarctica but on rare occasions, will come up to Australia's coastlines during the late winter months.

An entire new enclosure was built to house the leopard seals, located in the new Great Southern Ocean Exhibit which opened to the public in 2008.

[27] Sabine was the second leopard seal to come into Taronga's care, being found on Clontarf Beach in 2007, malnourished and on the brink of death with cookiecutter shark injuries.

Casey was found washed ashore at Wattamolla, south of Sydney in poor health with a recent cookiecutter shark wound on his abdomen.

Despite Taronga marine mammal and veterinary teams' efforts to help him Casey showed no signs of recovery.

Lisa was born at Taronga Zoo in August 1979 to Lulu and is the highest ranking female, and the most senior Chimpanzee in the community.

Shiba is fiercely protective of her offspring and access to her newborn son, Sudi, by the troop was very restricted while he was small.

Shona has a good relationship with the alpha male, Lubutu, but receive little support from the other chimpanzee, including her aunt, Shiba.

Kuma, then an adolescent, had a difficult time raising her first son, Furahi, due to a lack of family support.

Kamili had been separated, along with her pregnant mother, Koko, to allow the two low ranked females to raise their young in safety during the critical first weeks, but this was unsuccessful.

Sembe is a feisty young female who had struggled to adjust to life within the community when her mother was fully absorbed with Sudi.

Lubutu was born in June 1993 to Lisa and was the long term alpha male of the chimpanzee troop at Taronga Zoo up until his sudden death from lung failure.

Through his fair leadership and support from the females in the troop, Lubutu attributed to his success and lengthy tenure as a leader.

Taronga Zoo engages in a number of conservation efforts aimed at minimising human impact and ensuring ecological sustainability, working both in Australia and internationally.

These species included five native to Australia, the Koala, Regent Honeyeater, Southern Corroboree Frog, Marine Turtles, Platypus, and Greater Bilby, as well as five that are on the brink of extinction in Sumatra; the Sumatran Rhinoceros, Sumatran Tiger, Asian Elephant, Sun Bear, and Sunda Pangolin.

As part of the Seal talk and demonstration, the zoo encourages sustainable seafood choice through the MSC label.

[40] On 1 December 2022, the ABC published CCTV footage, obtained in a Government Information Public Access request, that shows the lions escaping through a hole in a fence.