The Mugga Lane Zoo was a privately owned zoo located on in the Australian capital city of Canberra. First opened in 1979 as the Canberra Wildlife Gardens, It was the first permanent zoo in the city, predating the National Zoo & Aquarium by over a decade. In 1981 the park was rebranded as the Mugga Lane Zoo, although the Canberra Wildlife Gardens name continued to be occasionally used until 1986. Before its closure in 2002, the zoo displayed over 116 different species of animals in its 9 ha (0.035 sq mi) park. Today, the now abandoned site remains a well known location in Canberra due to its popularity with urban explorers, and as a likely source of the feral peacocks often seen around South Canberra. According to the founder, Terry Thomas, the zoo was never financially successful, in part