|
The Kyiv Zoological Park is a unique
wildlife heritage site, founded at the initiative of academics from the
St. Volodymyr’s University, Polytechnic Institute and gymnasiums,
doctors, civil society activists and simply nature enthusiasts of the
Kyiv Society of Nature Enthusiasts.
The official funding date and the launch of the Kyiv Zoo
should be 21 March 1909 when it was granted territory for its premises
in the Botanical Gardens of the St. Volodymyr’s University and a right
to collect donations to keep its animals.
In May 1909 following the request of the Society the
Vice-Governor Mr. Chikhachev allowed for a collection box to be placed
at the entrance to the menagerie «to collect donations for the Society
to keep the menagerie animals». With these donations in late 1909 the
collection already had 115 vertebrate species totaling 398 specimens.
From the first days the Zoo existed on donations form citizens and
patrons, whereas its collection grew predominantly on the account of
wild animals pets abandoned by their owners. There were many prominent
figures among the Zoo’s patrons, such as famous manufacturer and
entrepreneur Mr. A. Tereshchenko, the owner of the wildlife sanctuary
Askania-Nova Mr. F. Falz-Fein, architect Mr. V. Gorodetskyy, artist Mr.
S.Svyatoslavskyy, Countess M. Brodskaya and Tsar Nicolay II.
The territory of the zoological park grew almost twice its
original size in 1910 thanks to the University, and from then on the
Society had 1.5 hectares of land.
Kyiv city authorities financially supported the Zoo from the
very beginning subsidizing twice a year 1000 and 1500 rubles
respectively.
On 16 May 1912 the City Administration appropriated a more
suitable plot of land (23.2 hectares) for the zoo in the vicinity of
Shulyavka opposite the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. This land was no good
for property development but more than simply suitable for a new zoo to
be build. Difficult relief features were rationally and elegantly used
to the best advantage, for example by transferring ravines into lakes
for water birds and building enclosures, regular and open-air on higher
grounds.
The gates of the new zoo were flung open in 1913 but its
further development was hindered by the 1st World War and then the Civil
War. Though despite all the hardship of those troubled times, nature
enthusiasts miraculously managed to save the animals and everything that
was created in the Zoo before the war on the brink of the 20th century.
1919 saw the zoo passing into the ownership of the newly created state
and receiving a new status «The Kyiv Zoological Park». It was the
initiator of the idea to create a Kyiv zoo, Mr. Venantiy Burdzinskyy who
became its first official director. The 1920s were a real golden age of
the Zoo, witnessing its collection refilled with rare and unique
wildlife species and research work humming. In 1935 the zoo finally
consolidates its territory in legal terms and fences it. They launch
constriction of new enclosures for elephants and monkeys, expand old
ones, develop existing water supply systems and allocate a large plot of
haying land for the Zoo. The Zoo infrastructure now entails a veterinary
clinic with several laboratories and wards, veterinary pharmacy, a
pretreatment ward and a model smith shop.
Those years before the 2WW were more than favorable for the
Zoo. When Nazi left Kyiv after its occupation they left no stone
unturned behind, with the Zoo completely wasted and almost all the
animals taken away.
In 1943 with Kyiv liberated from the Nazi occupation the Zoo
was anyhow rebuilt by the remaining Zoo team and was re-launched as
yearly as on 10 April 1944.
A long-term Zoo reconstruction project was initiated in 1966
with a new entrance gates built along with ticket and tourist office, as
well as a boiler-house for heating and hot water supply. A new modern
2400 sqm bird pavilion was opened in 1970, with the Aquarium, a 2700 sqm
Monkey House and an Animal Island to follow in 1972, 1976 and May 1982
respectively.
In 1983 following the orders of the USSR Council of Ministers
the Zoo gained a new status of a State Zoological Park enlisted with the
natural reserve fund. A lot was done to build up the Zoo collection of
exotic and rare species continuing researches and practical studies of
animals and different breeding techniques.
The so called «transition period» 1992-1997 were disastrous
in terms of personnel and the Zoo collection. It was a near end of the
animal collection. It was the then Mayor of Kyiv Mr. Omelchenko who
retrieved the situation.
In a soldier-like manner the Mayor shortly reorganized
existing resources to help the Zoo. It took only a month for 1500 people
to button up and set to rights the Zoo territory. The City
Administration allocated funds for the Zoo makeover: to reconstruct old
facilities and build new enclosures. A new Kyiv Zoo Reconstruction and
Development Plan was approved to create modern-age conditions for
animals in captivity in line with respective international standards.
The Plan provided for the exposition architecture to follow the
landscape ecology principles with certain elements of zoogeography and
systematic. It also envisaged for expanded recreation area of the Zoo.
In 2003 our bears got their new long-awaited home — the Bear
Continent. Two brown bear families switched from their old congested
cages to new spacious enclosures with as close-to-natural environment as
possible. Now they are the happy owners of a unique 2000 sqm enclosure
with cliffs, live trees, pounding 4 meter high waterfalls and wide ponds
(3m deep) to swim. This could not but improve their appetite in no time.
For birds to stretch their wings and fly two aviaries were
built. 2004 saw crowned cranes moving into their new spacious enclosure.
The Animal Island got new ecological exhibit modules such as Rainforest,
Mangroves, Africa, Amazonia, Indonesia, where animals of different
species where exhibited together for the first time. These
structuralized modules are to adequately exploit the existing zoological
exposition. For example, The Mangroves were bioengineered to inform and
show visitors biodiversity of mangrove wetlands with no geographical
reference. The exposition is formed by animals of various systematic
groups, such as land and water invertebrates (mangrove crabs and
insects), freshwater and sea fish, reptiles (turtles). To create the
landscape engineers used artificial elements like fake mangrove branches
and roots, ground, water and land plants. There are systems in place
specially engineered for these eco-modules to provide its animals and
plants with necessary levels of humidity and light of their unique
man-made environment.
A new contact zoo «Ukrainian Farmyard» was created several
years ago, where children can feed and play with different domestic
animals, such as pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, geese and chicken.
New housing was built for Humboldt penguins and scarlet
ibises, whereas in 2007 bustards got their new open-air enclosure. The
old Lion House built in 1924 was closed down on 24 May 2008 and all its
dwellers were relocated to more comfortable premises. 2008 was a good
year for raccoons, martens and skunks, as they got their new homes,
whereas giraffes could try out their new summer residence while some zoo
birds could enjoy their four netted enclosures.
Another feature that you simply can not miss out is an
interesting exposition Ant-hill just opposite the enclosure with grey
cranes. The Breeding Centre for Carpathian lynxes was opened in 2009
with two enclosures and a specially equipped cabin with everything
needed to breed these extraordinary cat family species of local fauna.
The Kyiv Zoo has special recreational areas for its youngest visitors
equipped with play grounds, for what is the real Zoo without it? The
last decade (starting from 1998) saw both positive and negative changes
in the Zoo, its structure, assets and managing team with their echo
still heard and felt.
The Kyiv Zoo turned 100 years old in 2009 with its centennial
birthday marked by different festivals, media events, visits paid by
numerous delegations of other zoos and wildlife organizations from many
different countries.
A hallmark of an event for the Zoo was the Final Conference of the
Euroasian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums held at the Kyiv
Zoo premises.
To mark the centennial anniversary the National Bank of Ukraine embossed
2 UAH coins with the Zoo symbolic plus postmarks with special present
collection set were issued.
It was thanks to joint efforts of the Zoo team and Mr. V. Kovalinskyy a
famous writer and historian, that the book «The Story of the Kyiv Zoo»
made it to the bookshelves and got its audience.
Finally, despite all the difficulties the Kyiv Zoo feels
confident of its bright future and is looking forward to the new day
that will see the Zoo getting closer to the international standards and
prosper as a successful wildlife conservation and eco-educational
establishment.
Source: official site of
Kyiv Zoo (2010)
|
|