The very idea of creating the Odessa zoo appeared the day before celebrating the city’s 100^th anniversary, in 18889, when the draft and the plan of “The Zoo on the Politseyskaya str. Near the ravine” was made up, but they failed to embody this plan.
The next step to create the zoo was made in 1914. The project of building it on the Botanic garden territory was made up and agreed by the city Duma, but the World War I and the Civil War hindered these plans’ embodiment.
And only in 1922 the zoo building on Primoskiy boulevard in the Vorontsovskiy palace’s lower garden begun.

The main merit of Odessa first zoo organizing belongs to one of the energetic “Southclimate”  society’s heads Heinrich Vladimirovich Beizert.

 

Despite a great amount of work carried out (construction of the grottos for lions, bears and tigers, pools for birds, small mountain for the mountain goats), the zoo garden had a lot of problems. These were both the lack of finances and the zoo territory’s being absolutely unsuitable for the animals’ placing. The city administration decided to close the zoo.

In December, 1927, the All-Union contest to make up an Odessa zoo project was announced. Three projects were accepted as a zoo building basis. Zoo building along the Arcadia road was begun in 1929. The basic works were being carried out on this territory: the landscape works were fulfilled, the dams along the main alley were constructed, the “Caucasian mountains” were begun to be built. The city administration was planning to put a part of the zoo in the act during 1930. The “Southclimate” society has already gathered a collection of animals for the zoo. But this project wasn’t fulfilled as well. Only the name of the street – the Zoo street – reminds of this. Despite all the difficulties, H.V.Beizert did continue to act tirelessly. In 1933, he’s appointed to the post of 4^th State Zoo on the Privoz administrator. The institution itself belonged to the State Circus, which had located its zoo in the City Garden for several years, and then has moved to Privoz.

 

 This time, the 1^st Christian cemetery was liquidated in Odessa according to the City administration decree. In the end of the 30-ies, the Illyich park and a zoo appeared on the ex-cemetery territory.  But the only archive document to prove the zoo opening in Novoshchepniy row str., 25, was the zoo manager H.Beisert’s paper on the Regional Workers’ council executive committee session on March, 16, 1945, in which he announced that “Odessa zoo was organized on the Illyichevskiy park territory in 1937” without budget assigning and “was working on economical payment”. The zoo was opened for the visitors in 1938. The zoo is still located on this very place, near the famous Privoz.

In 1992, according to Ukraine’s law, the zoo received the status of all-state importance nature reserve and replenished the composition of Ukraine’s natural reserve fund.

Odessa zoo’s collection features 243 types of animals and has 1590 exemplars featuring 93 types of fish, 7 types of amphibians, 37 types of reptiles, 73 types of birds, 33 types of mammals.

Odessa zoo has rare animals accepted into the International Nature Protection Union Red Book, European Red list and Ukraine’s Red book – over 60 types. Many of them are reproducing successfully. These are the famous Indian elephants, Far-East leopards, Przewalskiy horses, brown bears, eagle-owls, etc.

Zoo’s scientific specialization: «Ukrainian South’s rare and disappearing animals».  We have the Ukraine’s only nursery of keeping and breeding the birds of prey and owls. In several years, the falcons-balobans reared in the nursery were brought back to nature – placed in the wild birds’ nests.

 
Owning wild animals defines the zoo’s being unique. The zoos are the rescue places for the rare and disappearing animals – because in our hi-end times the wildlife and animals have got little place left.

Odessa zoo is the only one in Ukraine where the Indian elephants, who became the parents of already three cubs, are reproducing successfully.

 

Mommy Wendy, the elephant cub and Daddy Taroon

In 1992, the happy couple got their first cub. It received the name of Sim Elephant aka  Fantick and become the actor of the European circus. It was artificially reared by its stepmother – the predatory and trunk animals section manager Ppova L.N.
In 1998, a female elephant, which weighed over 90 kilos, was born. It received the name of Tendy, and lives in Kharkov zoo now.
On October, 2004, Taroon and Wendy got their third cub, which received the name of Duke.

 

 

 

 

 
 

Mommy Linda and the two kittens Jana and Java

For two years running, Amur leopards (ounces) have their descendants born in Odessa zoo. Such animals live in Far East. Amur leopard is one of the most beautiful and rare cats of the world fauna. Only 40 such ounces live in the wild life and they are under protection of the International Wild Life Protection Society.

The black ounce kittens Jana and Java were born by their Mommy Linda on June, 2006, 21. The kittens’ peculiarity is their being black while their parents have dots. Such an effect is explained by the increased level of melanin pigment.

Christmas holidays – from December, 26
International Biodiversity day – December, 29
International Marshes, fisheries and waterways day– February, 2
Spring birds festival – the last Sunday of March
Zoo humour day – April, 1
Elephant cub’s anniversary – May, 22
International children protection day – June, 1
World nature guarding day – June, 5
Knowledge day – September, 1

Zoo babies day – the 3^rd Sunday of July

Zoo day – the 2^nd Sunday of September
Autumn birds festival – the 1^st Sunday of October
Zinoviy-tit-day – the 2^nd Sunday of November

The zoo has a system of privileged season-ticket visits (for families, children and grown-ups).
Here it is possible to ride a pony, a lama, a camel, a phaeton. The visitors can have a rest, sit on the benches, have a snack in the café, the smallest ones can play on the children playground, ride the swings, visit the laughter room, etc.

 Odessa Zoo photo gallery

 

February, 28, 2007

A calf of "Ukrainian grey" breed was born in Odessa Zoo the last day of winter, February, 28, 2007.