Quick facts
Location: Wild Animal Park,
between Nairobi Village and Lion Camp
Habitats/regions featured: Australian rain forest
Size: 4 acres (1.6 hectares)
Opening date: September 1983
Nearest dining facility: Samburu Terrace
Be sure to look for…
Rhinoceros hornbill
Dwarf cassowary
Red-knobbed hornbill
Horticultural highlights
Australian Rain Forest Garden
Tasmanian tree fern
Flame tree
Aussie bush tucker plants
Eucalyptus
Firewheel tree
More
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Australian Rain Forest
The land of Oz
A slice of Australia has been brought to Southern California, here in the Australian Rain Forest at the Wild Animal Park. In this garden you'll stroll down a sun-dappled path past stands of eucalyptus trees, each trunk a patchwork of peeling brown bark. And there are other, less familiar plants. A Tasmanian tree fern stands in a shaft of sunlight, its delicate green leaves not unlike fossil leaves found etched in desert stones. Nearby, the red-and-yellow blossoms of the firewheel tree brighten a forest glade. A waterfall tumbles gently down the hillside along an artificial rock streambed.
The plants around the edge of the forest tend to come from drier climates, while the interior plants are generally found in subtropical and tropical areas. Some visitors find that the Australian Rain Forest does not fit their notion of just what a rain forest should be. They expect it to be hot and steamy, pelted by warm, misting rain. Since our climate can't quite compare, many of the rain forest plants do not grow quite as tall as they would in their native habitat.
Don't forget to look for birds in this rain forest! Among natives in Papua New Guinea, the Heck's dwarf cassowary has the dubious distinction of being valued as a sign of wealth, often kept as a measure of status. The large, flightless bird with a brightly colored face and neck lives in deep forest habitats. It stands about 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall and can weigh up to 110 pounds (50 kilograms). Nearby you'll find two striking hornbill species: the rhinoceros hornbill, named for the pointed casque on top of its large, colorful bill; and the red-knobbed hornbill, which has one of the most spectacular "knobs" of all the hornbill species.
Fun facts
- Long celebrated in Australian lore, eucalyptus or gum trees are not found in true Australian rain forests. So a few at a time, the eucalyptus are being removed from the Park's rain forest. It's weeding on a grand scale!
- More than 90 percent of the plants in this Australian Rain Forest are Australian in origin.
- A typical tropical Australian rain forest receives at least 51 inches (130 centimeters) of rain per year. The Wild Animal Park's rain forest is watered by misters installed in the eucalyptus branches.
- The Wild Animal Park and the San Diego Zoo have the most varied collection of hornbills in the United States, and they have probably hatched more hornbills than any other collection in the world.
