From early childhood, the zoo is something magical for us. Shaggy lions, tall giraffes, lazy hippos, bears, monkeys, which can be fed by hand, leave us fond memories for the rest of our lives. Almost every major city in Russia has its own wonderful zoo. But in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk it is very special.
Zoo history
The zoo can be compared with a museum, with the only difference being that the "exhibits" in it are living. You can talk with them, pet, feed from the palm of your hand. Each inhabitant has his own character.
The South Sakhalin Zoo can be considered a unique place, since it is the only animal park in Russia located on the islands in adverse, even severe climatic conditions. Its history begins in the early 1990s, when, by a special decree of the head of the city, a new place was created - the Sakhalin Zoo.
At first, the territory of the city park of culture and recreation was allocated for the inhabitants of the zoo, while the overhaul was going on in the building allocated for animals. Together with the premises, several hectares of forest were allocated to the zoo.
Animals were placed on an area of 500 square meters. In total at that time there were about 21 representatives of various types, who were looked after by almost twenty employees.
In the fall of 2000, the city authorities decided on a large-scale reconstruction. Along with this, the park was renamed into a zoological park and transferred to regional ownership.
Over the next fifteen years, large-scale reconstruction was carried out. There were spacious enclosures for deer and bears, a new stable. New "apartments" have found dogs and foxes. The construction of a large lake for waterfowl began.
In 2013, a significant event took place for the entire complex: a new feed block was built and commissioned, which was equipped with the latest systems for storing and ventilating feed.
An amazing fact: the schedule of the zoo in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk has not changed since its inception.
Red Book Inhabitants
According to 2017 data, more than 500 animals of different sizes and with different characters live in the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk zoo.
A special place is occupied by animals listed in the Red Book, international and Russian.
Residents of the Sakhalin zoo, such as a vulture turtle, Far Eastern soft-bodied turtle, African lion, Ussuri bear, raccoon dog and reindeer, are listed in the International Book.
In addition, there is a Russian branch. This organization monitors the population and content of animals such as whooper swan, Ussuri sika deer, Amur tiger, and common owl. This is the uniqueness of the zoological park in South Sakhalin.
Flora and fauna
The South Sakhalin Zoo has become not only the home of animals living in Russia. There is a large aviary with reptiles: snakes, monitor lizards, lizards, poisonous toads. There are even huge pythons.
The enclosure with insects and arachnids deserves special attention. Here, lovers of such living creatures can admire the Madagascar cockroaches, listen to Egyptian crickets, look at tarantulas.
In addition to animals, the zoo has rare flowers and trees collected from around the world, which the zoo experts monitor as carefully as the representatives of the fauna.
Animal welfare
The Sakhalin Zoo introduces a good new tradition on its territory, having familiarized itself with the experience of foreign colleagues. Now you can become a guardian of your favorite pet at the zoo. Such assistance to the zoo will improve the maintenance of animals, as well as expand monitoring of the behavior of animals in captivity.
The guardianship program aims to make this the whole city. After all, both adults and children come to look at animals. They are glad when they pay attention, they are always glad to guests and those delicacies that they bring with them.
To become a guardian, you need to conclude an agreement with the zoo. This can be done both by private individuals and commercial organizations. The contract defines the conditions under which the guardian must contain the selected animal in full or in part. This applies to feeding and keeping in the aviary. Dates are negotiated separately, as well as a visit to the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk zoo on schedule.
Newly made "parents" are issued with a certificate of adoption. In addition, they can take pictures with their ward, if it is not life threatening, and also give names to offspring if it appeared during guardianship. A special sign with the name of the guardian will be hung on the aviary, which will be visible to all guests of the zoo. The visit to the guardians does not affect the working hours of the zoo in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Active social life
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Zoo leads an active life. Here you can not only look at animals. The zoo hosts various children's events, exhibitions, tours and conferences. Pupils, receiving tasks in biology and botany classes, come here for additional knowledge.
The contact zoo is especially popular with city residents. Here you can not only feed, but also hold rabbits, rats, hamsters, ferrets and ducks in your hands, pat the kids on the withers.
Contact and location
In connection with the beginning of the overhaul and the expanded construction of the entrance group, the entrance to the Sakhalin Zoo is now located up Detskaya Street. You need to go closer to the cafe "Old Friend". The benchmark is the Bardak Youth Center. The schedule of the zoo in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk has not changed. It works the same as before - daily, from 10:00 to 18:00.
The working regime of the zoo in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, when it is possible to contact the animals, is also the same - Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00 without lunch break.