Adelaide Zoo redirects efforts towards education in the early 1970s; starts to reflect mixed eco systems

Adelaide Zoo staff have taken on educational roles as well as presenting activities such as the free-flying show by blue-and-gold macaw Manu.

Adelaide Zoo made a significant shift in its direction in the early 1970s. The 1971 annual report noted that “a start has been made in promoting the educational as opposed to the purely entertainment or recreational value of the Zoo”.

An educational officer was appointed in 1972 to “emphasize to schools the value, purpose and function of the zoo as an educational tool”. Universities were also encouraged to use the zoo for research into animal taxonomy, behaviour, breeding, genetics and veterinary science.

Adelaide Zoo’s own research resources were weak compared to other zoos, most notably London’s Regent’s Park.

The practices of animal captivity and segregation at the Adelaide Zoo were becoming increasingly transparent, not only to the public but also to zoo staff.

The zoo’s animals had traditionally been exhibited in taxonomic groups – birds, cats, primates, reptiles etc – with species housed separately in pairs. This ignored mixed eco systems in the wild.

The South East Asian rainforest and Australian walk-through aviary were examples of new exhibits that tried to replicate these mixed eco systems.

Although some of the zoo's heritage-listed enclosures such as the elephant house have been retained, they are no longer used to house animals. The elephant house now has educational signs. 

Another enclosure retained as heritage is the hippopotamus house, featuring the motif of the sun, flanked by two Egyptian geese, rising over the River Nile,