Description of the attraction
The Novosibirsk Zoo is the largest zoo in the entire territory of Russia and the only zoo in the world located in a real pine forest. The total area of the zoo is about 60 hectares.
The huge zoo grew out of a tiny living area that was located at the children's agricultural station. The founder of the zoo in the mid-30s. XX Art. the famous writer and zoologist - M. Zverev spoke. In just three years, he managed to turn a small living area into a zoo station, and then into a real zoo and nursery. Initially, the nursery was mainly inhabited by animals of the surrounding forests, for example, badgers, hares, roe deer and wood grouses. The former Novosibirsk garden of the Alhambra was given to the zoo. During the war years, the menagerie was not closed, it continued to work and was replenished with animals evacuated from other animals that suffered during the hostilities, circuses and zoos.
In 1947, the first zoo in Siberia was opened in the city. It was placed in a small area in the center of Novosibirsk. In 1953, the collection of animals included 230 inhabitants belonging to 72 species, and three years later the zoo displayed more than 80 species of animals. At the end of 1957, a strong fire broke out on the territory of the zoo. The restoration required enormous efforts. To somehow avoid a repetition of the tragedy, all the wooden enclosures of the zoo were replaced with metal ones.
In 1959, the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR issued a decree for construction in 1960-1961. new zoo. From 1969 to 1980 the zoo was rebuilt several times. Its population was growing rapidly, so the question of building a new zoo was raised again. A new territory for the construction of a zoo with an area of 53 hectares was allocated in the Zaeltsovsky district of the city of Novosibirsk. The zoo project was developed by the architect V. M. Galyamov.
Currently, there are more than 740 animal species in the Novosibirsk Zoo, 120 of which are listed in the Red Book. One of the best collections in the country of representatives of the marten-like and feline family (tigers, lions, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, lynxes) is gathered here. The zoo's emblem is the snow leopard, which has survived only in Altai and Siberia. In addition to large predators, the Novosibirsk Zoo is home to many wild cats - reed, sand, forest and steppe.
