A visit to the zoo is a joy not only for children. All wildlife lovers are happy to visit these interesting places where you can see the fauna from all over the world without leaving your city. In this article we will present you the best, in our opinion, zoos in the world. Many of them were created a long time ago, but today they are very popular and visited.
Tiergarten (Austria)
The zoo in Vienna originates from the imperial menagerie, which existed already in 1570. The current zoo was opened in 1752, by order of Emperor Franz. In 1828, the first giraffe in the Old World was demonstrated here, and in 1906, an elephant calf.
Among the attractions of this park is the Tropical House with the landscapes of the jungle of Borneo. Big pandas live in Schönbrunn . In 2007, their first offspring was born here, who were born without artificial insemination.
Fans of observing the depths of the sea can visit the magnificent aquarium, which is inhabited by whales, sharks, various species of fish. In addition, there is a terrarium. Animal welfare is sponsored by corporate and private funds.
Australia Zoo (Australia)
Often, the world's zoos are the main attractions of the countries in whose territory they are located. For example, Australia Zoo, located in the city of Birve (Queensled state), was awarded a tourist award as the country's main attraction in 2004.
The park is small in size - only 0.4 square meters. km It is 16 km from the ocean, in the beautiful Sunshine Coast. The zoo is quite young. It was created in 2011. The park was named in honor of its permanent leader - Steve Irwin. During its activities, it was possible to expand the area of ​​the park and significantly increase the number of animals.
Here at every step there are kangaroos who are completely not afraid of people, allow themselves to be stroked, not embarrassed, and even pose in front of cameras. And besides, here you can chat with a handsome koala.
Berlin Zoo
If you list the most visited zoos in the world, then the Berlin Zoo, located in the center of the capital of the country, will surely occupy a leading position. This is the oldest zoo in Germany, its area is more than 35 hectares, the number of animals varies from 14 to 17 thousand, more than 1.5 thousand species.
On the territory there is an aquarium with a huge number of fish, amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates and insects. The zoo opened in 1844, during the reign of Frederick William IV. The Berlin Zoo reached its peak under the director G. Bodinus, who took this post in 1869. When it was built a shelter for antelopes, premises for elephants, ostriches and flamingos were brought.
The achievements of Bodinus include the construction of the main attraction of the zoo - the unique "Elephant Gate". In addition to them, from the 19th century, the “Antelope House” and “House of Giraffes” have been preserved in their original form. Aviaries here are more like palaces, rather than animal cages. The peculiarity of this zoo is that the animals are separated from the visitors not by cages, but by ditches, and the walls of the pools for fur seals and hippos are transparent, and what is happening inside is visible.
The cold aviary for penguins is also made of especially durable glass. Zoo employees are very proud of the rare animals that appeared in captivity - a kiwi bird, red pandas, snow leopard, ocelot, polar bears, elephants, ring-tailed kangaroos. The Berlin Zoo is officially allowed to feed from the hands of animals. But not with chips and sweets, but with special feeds that can be purchased in devices installed next to aviaries.
One of the park's new programs is the breeding of miniature short-necked giraffes with striped hair - okapi.
Jerusalem Biblical Zoo (Israel)
Most zoos in the world are thematic. But in the Jerusalem park you can visit the "Corner of the biblical nature", so the locals call it Biblical. And officially, it has another name - the Tish Zoo, in honor of American benefactors.
Here the landscape of Ancient Palestine is accurately reproduced. And his indisputable pearl is a huge building - Noah's Ark. The park was opened in 1940. Here you can see 300 species of animals, there are rhinos and lions, zebras and monkeys, penguins and kangaroos, snakes and parrots, flamingos and chameleons. They are settled in a natural habitat - from the rainforest to the African savannah. There is also a veterinary center equipped with modern operating rooms and laboratories, as well as a quarantine unit.
"Children's Zoo" gives great pleasure to young visitors who can feed and pet sheep, dwarf goats, rabbits here, and feed koi carps in a special pool. The staff of the park is very proud of the performances of trained elephants, during which an opportunity is played for one of the spectators to ride a giant artist.
The zoo is located on two levels: here are picturesque lawns for relaxation, a system of waterfalls and a lake. Visitors can take a boat ride or take a trip along the children's railway.
Singapore Zoo (Singapore)
The largest zoos in the world in our review adequately represent Singapore Park. In it, animals are practically at large - there are no lattices and cells. Therefore, in this place you can feel all the charm of being in the wild rainforest.
The zoo was opened in 1973 and is one of the most interesting sights of this country. It occupies a fairly large territory, with an area of ​​more than 28 hectares. A variety of birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and insects feel comfortable here. One of the most popular entertainments in the Singapore Zoo is Lunch with Lions and Breakfast with Orangutans.
The night safari, which was first organized here, leaves a very vivid impression. Those who took part in it will be able to see more than a thousand nocturnal animals that either reluctantly communicate with visitors during the day, or even hide.
Zoo in Yekaterinburg
And now we will be transported to Russia, or rather, to Yekaterinburg. Residents of the city like to relax in their zoo, which covers an area of ​​two and a half hectares. The park was founded in 1930. At that time, his collection was only 60 animals. Today it has increased to 1200 individuals of 320 species.
The zoo (Yekaterinburg) has five spacious pavilions for residents who love heat: predators and birds, elephants and monkeys, as well as the Exoterrarium pavilion. In addition, animals from different latitudes settled here, a wonderful complex for huge cats - Amur tigers - and spacious enclosures for bears.
The zoo (Yekaterinburg) has a large collection (seventy species) of animals that are listed in the Red Book of the Urals, the Red Book of the Russian Federation, as well as the International Red Book. Among them: Foss and a Cuban crocodile, lion-tailed macaques and an Indian elephant, a tiger python and an Indian elephant, Steller's sea eagles and Moluccan cockatoos, a radiant tortoise and a tomato frog.
Contact zoo
And in conclusion of our review, we will visit Moscow, where the largest contact zoo in our country is located. It is located in the shopping center VEGAS. Its total area is more than 500 square meters. m. Here are about thirty species of animals - from exotic to domesticated.
Adult visitors and children will be able to get acquainted with various representatives of the fauna brought from different parts of the Earth. Here you will meet a cat lemur and an alpaca llama, a black raccoon and a porcupine, a Canadian fox and a mongoose. Some of these inhabitants are listed in the Red Book.