The National Zoological Garden of South Africa is the largest zoo in the country and the only one with national status.
The 85-hectare Zoo in Pretoria houses 3117 specimens of 209 mammal species, 1358 specimens of 202 bird species, 3871 specimens of 190 fish species, 388 specimens of 4 invertebrate species, 309 specimens of 93 reptile species, and 44 specimens of 7 amphibian species.
The National Zoological Garden of South Africa is the largest zoo in the country and the only one with national status. More than 600 000 people visit the Zoo annually. The total length of the walkways in the Zoo in Pretoria is approximately 6km.
The highly accredited tourism site, World Atlas published the following article rating the Pretoria Zoo as one of the 10 best ranked zoos in the world, competing with the well-known Bronx Zoo in New York.
An Aquarium and Reptile Park also form part of the Zoo facility in Pretoria. The Aquarium is the largest inland marine aquarium in the country.
The third largest collection of exotic trees can be found at the Zoo.
Our history
The National Zoological Garden of South Africa is the national zoo of South Africa, and was founded by J. W. B. Gunning in 1899. Pretoria Zoo is one of the eight largest zoos in the world and one of the most highly rated.
Mission, vision & values
The SANBI mandate is to explore, reveal, celebrate and champion biodiversity for the benefit and enjoyment of all South Africans, which includes managing the National Botanical and Zoological Gardens as ‘windows’ to South Africa’s biodiversity for enjoyment and education.
Governance Structure
SANBI’s structure is a reflection of the Institute’s responsibilities as outlined in the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), 2004.
