MOSCOW ZOO

Description

Essentials about Moscow Zoo in brief

Opened in 1864 and covering an area of 22 hectares, Moscow Zoo is not only the oldest but also the largest zoo in Russia. After its fundamental renovation in the 1990s, the zoo is now once again worth a visit. Around 5,000 animals from 1,000 different species live here. More than two million people visit Moscow Zoo every year.

The history of Moscow Zoo

Historically, Moscow Zoo dates back to an initiative of some professors of Moscow University. When it opened, the zoo was not even half the size it is today and housed just under 300 mostly domestic animals. During the Russian Civil War in the wake of the October Revolution, 90 percent of the animal population was lost. As a result, the zoo was nationalized and in 1922 became the property of the City of Moscow, which manages it to this day.

In 1926, the area was expanded to 18 hectares and the animal population was increased. A science center was also added to the zoo. In 1935, animal keeper Vera Chaplina gained worldwide fame when she raised a lion cub, abandoned by its mother, at her home. Lack of maintenance caused the zoo to fall largely into disrepair in the 1970s and 1980s.

The redesign of Moscow Zoo

It was not until 1990 to 1997, under the aegis of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, that the zoo was thoroughly modernized and expanded to its current area of about 21.5 hectares. In the course of the redesign, the old part (dating from 1864) and the new part (dating from 1926) were also connected with a pedestrian bridge. Previously, the two parts acted virtually as separate zoos, as they were separated by a road.

In the course of the redesign of the zoo in the 1990s, about 50 enclosures were renovated or newly built. These include a large ape house for great apes, great apes, prosimians and lemurs, pavilions for tropical, small and medium-sized cats, an elephant pavilion, the large pond for waterfowl and flamingos, a pavilion for seals, the enclosures for cheetahs and spectacled bears, the Goat Mountain for mountain ungulates and the Polar World for polar bears and other polar animals (to name just a few).

Special highlights of Moscow Zoo are the elegant Amur leopards, which are acutely endangered in the wild. Also among the endangered big cats to be seen at the zoo is the Siberian tiger.

And last but not least, children will especially enjoy the children’s zoo, where you can not only ride ponies and watch chicks hatch, but also see the animals from Russian fairy tales come to life.