When traveling in Ukraine, you should definitely visit the city zoo in Nikolaev. This is one of the oldest menagerie of its kind . Nikolaev Zoo is considered one of the best in Europe, is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). This is especially proud of Ukraine.
How does it work and where is it located?
It works daily. It offers both the organization of group excursions, and just a walk with the family or alone. It is worth visiting the Nikolaev Zoo. His address: Nikolaev, Nikolay Leontovich Square, 1.
A nice place
The zoo is the pride of the city of Nikolaev. Besides the fact that you can walk along it, walking along beautiful alleys and looking at the animal world, it is rich in all kinds of monuments of extraordinary beauty, as well as benches in the form of all kinds of animals. You can take interesting photographs near the Ukrainian poultry yard, where a cart is located at the painted hut. And you can visit the Indians wigwam, trying on their national clothes and hats.
Children will be interested in jumping on a trampoline, and rides are provided for them. And adults can sit in a cafe, try a delicious ice cream. The prices here are, of course, prohibitively high - two or even three times higher than in ordinary city stores.
Zoo (Nikolaev): ticket prices and opening hours
As for the prices for the entrance to this miracle of Nikolaev, they are not high for such an excellent pastime. The cost of a ticket to the Nikolaev Zoo will be fifty hryvnias for an adult, for school-age children it will cost 30 hryvnias, but preschoolers are allowed to enter the territory for free. In summer, the time for visiting the zoo is set to 18 hours, in winter, an hour shorter - to 17.
Description
The total area of the zoo is 18.48 hectares. In one year, more than 200 thousand people visit it. In the collection of the zoo there are 475 species and 6029 animals in the area.
How to get to the zoo?
You can get and get to the zoo in Nikolaev by public transport. To do this, take the trolleybus number 2 or tram number 6, 7. From the train station, take the minibus number 8, 21, 88 to the bus station.
Entertainment
Nikolaev Zoo (Nikolaev) is very well-maintained and so that the whole family had a great time. There are several cafes, a playground is provided for children, you can ride a pony or go to a photo salon and take a photo as a keepsake. There is an excursion train, two terrariums with different inhabitants, a magnificent butterfly garden, an aquarium filled with all kinds of fish, and much more.
Zoo history
Nikolaev Zoo is a historical place. His story begins in 1901. This date is considered the date of its foundation. The person who created it is the then head of state Nikolai Pavlovich Leontovich. At first, he was the owner of a private aquarium, which was at his place and was equipped at that time with the latest technology, the most modern equipment. In his collection, there were more than 50 species of various fish. After a while, the aquarium became available to a wide range of people.
After the Civil War, the aquarium suffered many losses, it had to be restored again. The second grand opening took place on June 25, 1922. About forty thousand people visited him this year. Now he began to have the name "State Aquarium". You could visit it for free.
Since 1925, a
zoological garden appeared at the State Aquarium
. He acquired a new name. From now on, it became known as the aquarium-zoo. Various animals were brought from other countries, such as camels, ostriches, bison, yaks and others. Bears, wolves, foxes and monkeys were brought specifically to bring animals to the zoo. Now the area has been increased to 0.75 hectares. Cages are provided for predators, and aviaries are provided for ungulates.
Currently, the aquarium has about three thousand exhibits. It is divided into several parts. Representatives of lakes and seas from around the world are gathered here: from the tiniest to huge fish.
Nikolaev Zoo. Photo and description of animals
This zoo is one of the best in the world. It contains a huge collection of various animals.
Every year, in order to improve the territory of the Nikolaev Zoo, a rather large amount of money and effort is spent, but this gives its results.
Today, the zoo in Nikolaev can be called the planet Earth in miniature, which contains various species of animals, both wild and domestic.
There are also feathered representatives of the fauna: from miniature hummingbirds to huge eagles,
parrots, cockatoos, cranes and other various birds. There is a collection of monkeys of different breeds - here they will definitely entertain visitors. There are also terrifying crocodiles, formidable wolves, clubfoot bears, foxes, bulls, boas, bison, deer like that.
Where are the fauna representatives located?
Starting movement clockwise from the entrance, you can get to the part of the zoo, inhabited by all kinds of birds. In hot weather, they are difficult to find on trees. Near each aviary there are plates with the name of the animal and its brief description. The information is written in three languages: Ukrainian, Russian and English. It is certainly very convenient for tourists. The schematic map shows the habitat of each animal.
A great many birds have been brought to Nikolaev Zoo, ranging from various parrots to powerful eagles and other formidable birds. If you're lucky, then you can get on the feeding of the inhabitants and see how the vulture eats its portion.
Going further you can meet deer. In some zoos it is allowed to feed them or even enter the enclosures, but here you can’t do this. Moreover, feeding animals is prohibited in the entire zoo. But despite this, many still manage to feed them.
Then the ostrich meets. By the way, he is able to reach a weight of one hundred and fifty kilograms, and his height can be up to three meters.
It is worth noting that the Nikolaev Zoo is equipped with various banners with information about animals. There are small descriptions of specific animals, and there are large billboards with general information.
What can you see when visiting the Nikolaev Zoo? Animals, of course, delight the eye of every person. Particularly popular among visitors were large representatives of the fauna: lions, tigers, bears, hippos. Lives in the zoo and the oldest animal - a 65-year-old crocodile, who was named Vasya. Children are amused by
monkeys, chimpanzees, and adults by amusing meerkat animals, for whom a separate aviary called the "Meerkat Estate" is specially built. Absolutely at any time of the year you can get a lot of impressions by going to the butterfly garden. There are many species: from the simplest to the tropical.
Grandfather Hut
For pets, the aviary is decorated in a folklore style and is called "Grandfather's Hut." It is a kind of museum of rural life in the south of Ukraine. The zoo has its own anthem, flag, emblem, commemorative coin, and also a postage stamp.
Indoors are a terrarium and an aquarium. The lighting there is too poor. Visitors cannot always see residents. But the light must be dim, this is one of the conditions for the inhabitants to live.
Advantages and disadvantages
But despite the fact that the zoo has many positive aspects, there is one most noticeable minus - this is the location of the residents themselves. The fact is that the enclosures and paths on the territory are located in such a way that it is quite difficult to find someone or see. Everything is very confused. Of course, the administration of the zoo posted a huge map at the entrance, on which you can see the habitats of various animals. However, not everyone can remember their location.
Because of this, some people do not find certain animals. Although at any time you can ask workers where the housing of a certain representative of the fauna is located.
Little conclusion
Thus, the Nikolaev Zoo is one of those places that are definitely worth a visit. Here, both adults and children will find entertainment for themselves, everyone is guaranteed to receive, of course, a maximum of positive impressions and emotions. Here you can get a variety of knowledge about all kinds of animals: from fish and reptiles to huge predators. Therefore, choosing Ukraine as a travel destination, you should definitely call in Nikolaev to see one of the oldest zoos, which bears the title of one of the best in the world.