Description of the attraction
The Sofia Zoo is located in the south of the city, near Vitosha Mountain. It is the oldest and largest zoological park in the Balkans. The territory of the zoo occupies two hundred and fifty hectares, there are about three hundred species of animals, the total number of individuals is about a thousand. Sofia Zoo is on the list of the most important Bulgarian tourist sites.
It is believed that the history of the zoo began with birds. In 1888, Prince Ferdinand, who was a big fan of birds, founded the zoological garden. Pheasants were the first to settle here, later - pink pelicans, black vultures, crested quails, peacocks. The first animals - brown bears and deer, from the "foreigners" - lions.
For almost a century, the zoo was located in Borisova Gradina, the territory was separated by a tributary of the river. Perlovsk. However, the zoo grew rapidly, more and more animals and birds appeared that needed additional space, and in 1982 the zoo moved to a new location, where it is located to this day.
The administration of the Sofia Zoo strives to create conditions for pets close to the natural environment. The entire territory of the park is divided into sectors that are isolated from each other. There are rhinos, elephants, hippos, wild boars, bison, crocodiles, rams, antelopes, bears, lynxes, tigers, lions, camels, zebras and others. The monkey nursery is home to macaques, baboons, hamadryas, ring lemurs, gulmans. The huge variety of birds is historically conditioned, today in the park you can see the golden eagle, griffon vulture, vulture, long-legged buzzard, owl, eagle owl, different types of owls, flamingos, pheasants, as well as ostriches and many others. There is also a large aquarium in the zoo, which contains about a hundred species of fish, including extremely rare ones.
The enclosures are equipped with information boards and stands that tell visitors about the zoo's pets. Also, the park has special areas for recreation and children's games.
