Description of the attraction
One of the best and most famous zoos in Ukraine is the Nikolaev Zoo, located on Leontovich Square. The history of the zoo began in 1901, when the mayor N. Leontovich created his own private collection - an aquarium-museum.
Until 1925 the zoo was located in the house of N. Leontovich on Admiralskaya Street. Later, a zoological department was opened at the aquarium-museum, which received the name Aquarium-Zoosad, and since 1948 - the Nikolaev Zoo. At the same time, he became subordinate to the regional executive committee and was financed from the regional budget. In 1978, the Nikolaev Zoo was moved to a new, more spacious place with an area of 23 hectares - next to the Central Bus Station.
Nikolaev Zoo became the first Ukrainian zoo, which in 1993 was admitted to the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and in 2003 - to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Today the collection of the zoo consists of almost 5690 animals of 460 species, most of which are included in the Red Book. Spacious enclosures allow you to mimic the natural habitat of animals, which positively affects their behavior and brings joy to visitors.
Large animals are of great interest - lions, tigers, hippos, bears, many of which have previously performed in the circus. There is a fairly large collection of monkeys - monkeys, chimpanzees and macaques. The pride of the Nikolaev Zoo is the 60-year-old crocodile Vasya, the oldest animal of Ukrainian zoos, as well as the 8-meter python Grid, the largest snake in Europe.
The zoological garden has a huge collection of birds - from small hummingbirds to huge eagles, and representatives of the aquatic world from all over the world are collected in the aquariums of the Nikolaev Zoo. In May 2006, the "Garden of living tropical butterflies" was opened in the Nikolaev Zoo.
Also, the Nikolaev Zoo quite often takes part in international programs for the preservation of rare animal species in captivity.
