Moscow Zoo

Moscow Zoo

Moscow Zoo, one of the oldest on the European continent, is located in the heart of the Russian capital – not far from the Garden Ring, between Krasnaya Presnya, Bolshaya Gruzinskaya and Zoologicheskaya Streets. On its vast territory in pavilions, ponds, enclosures live more than eight thousand animals, representing almost a thousand species of fauna inhabiting our planet.

Video: Moscow Zoo

• Highlights
• History of the Moscow Zoo
• Old Territory
• New territory
• Entertainment and holidays
• Visitor information
• How to get there

Highlights

The Moscow Zoo has long been world famous for its pioneering work, its zoologists have bred several unique breeds of animals. The zoo participates in prestigious international eco-programs for the conservation of endangered species of fauna, is a member of the World and European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA and EAZA), Euro-Asian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAPAZA).

Zoological Park, which became popular among Muscovites in the XIX century, is conditionally divided into Old and New territory, connecting them Transition Bridge overhanging Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Street. Both territories are perfectly arranged for comfortable recreation of visitors. There are many green areas with flower beds, cafes, comfortable benches in the shade, fountains with filtered drinking water. Several dozens of expositions with animals are scattered throughout the zoo and represent separate geographical regions of their habitat, zoological families and species. At each of the expositions you can spend more than one hour watching well-fed and well-groomed brothers of our lesser, who feel surprisingly at ease in the center of a huge metropolis.

History of Moscow Zoo

The Moscow Zoo traces its history back to February 12, 1864 (January 31, old style). On this day, a zoo was pompously opened on Presnensky Ponds, which soon became one of the most attractive and visited corners of Moscow. Actually, Presnenskie Ponds have long been popular among Muscovites: at the end of the XVIII century, the tsar’s menagerie was located here, and in the early XIX century, the actual Privy Councillor Pyotr Valuev, who acquired ownership of the ponds and the land around them, introduced the city tradition of “Presnenskie festivities”. Then the land near the Presnensky ponds with its green hills, flood meadows and flowering gardens was allocated to the Imperial Russian Society for Acclimatization of Animals and Plants to build a zoo. At the origins of its creation stood Russian biologists – professors of Moscow University Karl Rulier, Anatoly Bogdanov and Sergei Usov.

Not only biologists-professionals, but also amateur naturalists from different strata of Moscow society were enthusiastic about the creation of the zoo. By the time of its opening, the zoo already had a “living collection” of three hundred wild and domestic animals, representing mainly the fauna of the Russian Empire. The maintenance of the zoo was a troublesome and costly affair, and it owed its rather prosperous existence mainly to patrons of the arts. For example, Emperor Alexander II presented the zoo with an Indian elephant, Grand Duke Constantine with a rhinoceros, Vice-Sultan of Egypt Ismail Pasha with a zebra, Rear Admiral Ivan Butakov, commander of the frigate “Svetlana”, who returned from a round-the-world voyage, with exotic animals of the Australian continent, Father Damaskin, abbot of the Valaam Monastery, with Ladoga seals and reindeer. A large group of animals came from the Paris Acclimatization Garden.

The purpose of the zoo was not only to demonstrate the diversity of the animal world of the planet. Here was also arranged an experimental base for scientific and practical work. On the basis of crossbreeding of domestic and imported from abroad animals were bred new, elite, breeds, they could be purchased at exhibitions, periodically organized in the zoo.

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After the revolution, in 1919 the zoo was nationalized, and in 1923 it came under the jurisdiction of the Mossovet. From 1924 to 1928, the head of the zoo was the famous Russian biologist Mikhail Zavadovsky. During this period, the zoo added additional land, where such corners as “Polar World”, “Turya Gorka”, “Island of Beasts” – the territory where animals were kept not in cages, but in spacious enclosures, separated from visitors by a moat with water. The zoo itself became known as a zoo.

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Moscow Zoo did not stop working and during the Great Patriotic War. Its dedicated staff did not leave their pets unattended even during air raids, calming the frightened animals with their presence and care. In the 50s and 70s, Igor Sosnovsky, known for his articles and books about animals and the zoo itself, was at the helm, thanks to which the zoo’s popularity grew year by year.

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By the 1990s, the zoo had become noticeably dilapidated, and it was decided to carry out a general reconstruction here. In the process of work built more than five dozen spacious housing for animals, updated most of the engineering communications. At the same time, new expositions were opened, where animals that had never been shown in the zoo before appeared. At the same time, the Zoological Nursery for reproduction of rare, valuable and endangered species of animals was organized in the Moscow region. Today it can boast such “rarities” as Far Eastern leopards, Transbaikal manulas, cheetahs, Amur tigers, Central Chinese red wolves, blue rams, the collection continues to be replenished.

Old Territory

The first thing that guests of the Moscow Zoo see after passing the main entrance is the Big Pond. The pond is famous not only for the huge number of waterfowl, but also for its history, dating back to the year of the zoo’s foundation. For more than 150 years, the shape of its shores and islands have certainly changed, but birds still live here all year round. The water in the pond is regularly cleaned and aerated, and in winter powerful compressors keep the pond ice-free.

On artificial islands built on concrete bases, you can see houses – these are nesting places for birds. They were specially placed far away from the shore so that the birds would not be disturbed.

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Among the inhabitants of the Big Pond – the gray goose and very similar to him Bean Goose, residents of Europe and Asia, Far Eastern dry goose (a very rare bird), white goose, widespread in North America, Yakutia and on Wrangel Island, Magellanic goose, listed in the Red Book of Russia. The Bolshoi Pond has also become a home for whooper swans, tundra swans, the world’s smallest swans, black-necked swans from South America and Australian black swans. Flamingos live in the shallow waters of the Big Pond in a specially created aviary. There are an incredible number of bright orange ducks. There is no need to keep them in the zoo, and in spring some of them fly all over Moscow.

To the west of the Bolshoi Pond are the favorite representatives of the cat family. In the enclosures close to the pond are “speedy” cheetahs. They have not lost their predatory skills, but, deprived of the opportunity to hunt antelopes, are content to hunt sparrows, crows and pigeons, which inadvertently fly into their territory.

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A little farther away is the “Cats of the Tropics” pavilion. Its masters are a jaguar and a blue-eyed handsome white tiger – one of the largest representatives of the feline family. In summer the predators stroll in the open picturesque enclosures, and in winter they take shelter in the walls of the pavilion, although the white tiger occasionally comes out for a walk even on frosty days. In the neighboring “Cat Row” are aviaries where medium-sized cats live: lynx, Far Eastern leopard, irbis, puma.

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Not far from the “cat kingdom” is a yellow two-story house built back in 1892. Until 1914, meetings of the Imperial Russian Society for the Acclimatization of Animals and Plants were held here, and during World War I, the second floor of the building housed a hospital. After the revolution the administration of the Moscow Zoo was located here. Today, the second floor houses the Museum of Zoo History.

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This building was named “House of the Giraffe”, because on the first floor lives the brightest and most famous of all the inhabitants of the Moscow Zoo, a favorite of the public – the giraffe Samson Gamletovich Leningradov, or simply Samson. This “native” of the Leningrad Zoo, arrived in the capital as a small child, and for more than 20 years this cute friendly animal has been a source of sincere sympathy for all visitors. He always trustingly reaches for human hands and indiscriminately tenderly licks the guests with his soft tongue. But listen to the caring caretakers, who never tire of asking not to give the animal bread, cookies, candy. It is better to treat Samson with apples, bananas or grapes.

Near the “Giraffe House” there are enclosures where tapirs and gnu live – typical inhabitants of the African savannah.

In the western part of the Old Territory is also located the “House of Birds” pavilion. Its warm and beautiful aviaries are home to more than 70 species of birds, mostly exotic. Among them are ostriches, Kafr horned crows, casuars, and many species of parrots.

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Near the “House of Birds” are aviaries where you can see one of the pearls of the Moscow Zoo’s collection – cranes. Eight of the 14 species of these beautiful birds are represented here. Get acquainted with Indian, Japanese, black-necked cranes, as well as with Siberian cranes, red-crowned cranes, Paradise and Daurian species, Eastern crowned cranes. In the neighborhood with cranes live storks, including rare ones – Far Eastern and black storks.

To the right of the main entrance to the Moscow Zoo is the exposition “South America”. Here you can see the animals inhabiting this continent: humpless camels – guanaco, llama, vicuña, alpaca. Thanks to their thick and long wool these animals feel comfortable in open enclosures even in the harshest Moscow winter.

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Behind the exposition of South American fauna there are enclosures where representatives of

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Japanese macaques, known as “snow monkeys,” have settled near the Transition Bridge leading to the New Territory, famous for their nontrivial behavior that has become a subject of study for ethologists. In their homeland, in the northern regions of Japan, where snow does not come down for four months, they warm up in warm thermal lakes. In the same reservoirs they wash dug tubers, roots and other food before eating. In winter, these animals with thick fur frolicking in the snow, playing snowballs and riding on icy slides, like children in coats.