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 September,
27, 1987
When
celebrating the first “City’s Day” a unique institution, an exotarium,
was founded in Tula, which is the only zoo of reptiles in Russia. At
that time it was called “Mini-Zoo” and was a self-financing department
of the Komsomolsky Amusement Park. Its opening was preceded by an epic
with organization of the exhibition at the Center of Nature in the
Lenina prospekt. To get to that exhibition people were queuing during
6-7 hours. Then it became clear that the Tula citizens need a zoo.
Sergei
Ryabov’s and Vladimir Dmitriev’s personal animals as well as species
granted under the contracts from the Moscow Zoo and the Institute of
Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR formed the basis of the
exotarium’s first collection. At that time the exposition consisted of
two large rooms, the exotarium had one laboratory and employed 10
people. The ticket prices were 50 kopeck for adults and 30 kopecks for
children.
Year 1988
Nobody
believed…, but this mini-zoo turned out to be viable working under the
principles of self-supporting and self-financing. According to Decision
of the Municipal Executive Committee No. 14-567 dated 21.07.1988 Tula
Exotarium became an independent enterprise from August, 1.
In the same year it
became a base enterprise of the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR on
exercising advanced methods of management and a base laboratory of
herpetologic studies of the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of
Sciences of the USSR.
The first
international contacts were made (with the help of scientists from the
Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR) and to
expand the animals collections the first expeditions to the Central Asia
and to the island of Kunashir (together with the Moscow zoo). The
exotarium could receive an approval of the Ministry of Foreign Economic
Relations of the USSR, the Main Veterinary Administration of the USSR to
export and import reptiles and amphibians and to send the first package
with raised frogs and snakes to and from Austria, respectively.
That very
fall the first field exhibition of reptiles started its work in Moscow
(the Garden Ring, Chaikovskiy street) and during the whole working
period (more than a month) it was a great success. At the end of the
year the exhibition was taken to Minsk.
In September
N.N. Drozdov visited the exotarium and devoted it his first program “In
the World of Animals”.
Year 1989
Purposefully and
insistently the international contacts were reached.
Scientists-herpetologists from the University of Berkeley (California,
the US), Theodor Papenfuss and Robert Macey, the leading scientist from
China, Professor Zhao Ermi, Director of the Center for Raising Reptiles
and Ecology Knowledge Publicity, Ronald Tremper from Fresno (the US),
the consul of Australia in the USSR, Bruce Scott, visited Tula. Within
the program of scientific exchange we received the first dispatches from
Austria, Switzerland, France, Germany and we sent the dispatches to
Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the US. And in September three workers of
the exotarium took part in the 1-st Wold Herpetologic Congress in
Canterbury (Great Britain).
And the scientific
expeditions were not forgotten: we got the permissions for catching
reptiles in various republics of the USSR and organized trips to
Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the Far East and the island of
Kunashir.
The field
exhibition continued its trip around the cities: Minsk, Moscow, Vilnius
and Leningrad. And at the same time in Tula the exotarium had the fence
around it repaired, received a statue of Dinosaur in front of it (scuptor
D. Uvartsev) which later became a sight of the city. Despite little
space we even managed to open a new exposition consisting of 7 rooms.
The exposition is formed according to the zoogeographic continental
principle and also with the night room. Here the museum of course
presented reptile, amphibians, various species of fish and some
invertebrates.
Year 1990
The exotarium
started getting the world acknowledgement: for the first time in the
wold history off-springs of the African ground python and the trust of
foreign colleagues: the exotarium got the accreditation of the
Government of Australia which allows to exchange animals with the
Australian zoos. Thanks to the international cooperation with the Ron
Tremper’s Center (the US) the exotarium’s collection of inoxious snakes
was considerably replenished. First of all with king snakes (Lampropeltis)
and racers (Elaphe). The exotarium was again visited by the a scientific
delegation from Heyfei (4 persons).
Expeditions were
organized to Turkmenistan, Tajikistan (together with the Institute of
Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the Institute of
Berkeley) and to the island of Kunashir.
Year 1991
The exotarium
looked for the ways of saving space and lowering the costs but at the
same time observing the optimum conditions of animals comfort. This work
resulted in inventing and implementing an original system of deposited
keeping of snakes.
The snakes collection
continued to form by means of scientific exchanges with the foreign
colleagues and catching new species during the expeditions to
Checheno-Ingooshetia (together with the Institute of Zoology of the
Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the University of Berkeley),
Turkmenistan, the city of Elizovo (Kamchatka) and other regions.
The exotarium received
dispatches with snakes from the Royal Zoo of Melbourne (Australia),
Jersey Conservation Trust of Gerald Darrel (Great Britain), Institute of
Snakes (Tokyo, Japan) and Scientific and Research Center for Studying
Tropical Biosphere of the Ryukyu University (Okinawa, Japan). And the
exotarium workers went to Germany for the first time (to the exotarium
of the Frankfurt Zoo) and to China (the University of Hefei and the
ophidiarium).
Year 1992
And again, first of all
the international contacts: the exotarium won the hearts of Switzerland,
Cuba, the USA, Vietnam! Director of Oriopharm, a large European Center,
Michel Guillod, came to Tula for the first time in his life, later we
organized the exchange of dispatches with this Center. Due to this a
collection of pythons and boas expanded greatly.
For the first time the
exotarium workers together with the Kaluga University visited the Cuba.
They also went to the USA having visited Ron Tremper’s Center and the
Dallas Zoo where they brought grass and purple brown pythons from. In
Vietnam they advised the local colleagues on construction of the center
for raising snakes.
We also continued
our work in the expeditions. The exotarium workers went to
Checheno-Ingooshetia, Azerbaijan, the Kunashir island and the island of
Sakhalin. And again we are searching for the ways to save money: we
equipment 10 laboratories according to a new scheme and created a
vivarium for raising rats to cut costs on feeding stuff and to ensure
out nurslings with living rodents.
Year 1993
It became extremely
difficult to survive in the conditions of self-financing in connection
with sharp rises in prices on energy, petrol, feeding stuff and many
other things, with the people’s lack of confidence in their future. But
we didn’t work worse due to these facts. We received many off-springs
from 70-80 snakes species, created a vivarium called “Mice”, expanded a
vivarium “Rats” – this allowed to cut three times the expenses on feed
rodents.
The exotarium was
visited by a famous German scientist-herpetologist and terrariumist,
Klaus-Dieter Schulz, from Wurzelen to get familiar with the Tula
collection of chicken snakes within the work on his monograph. The
exotarium workers went to Switzerland (Geneva), they went twice to
Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh locality). The exotarium continued developing
cooperation with Oriopharm on exchange of animals.
We organized an
expedition to Chechnya and a trip to Elizovo (Kamchatka) again. We
bought the first vehicle, i.e. Kuban bus.
 Year
1994
That year was one
of the hardest years in the exotarium history. Financial condition of
the organization kept on declining, we had to stop some scientific
programs. But despite this fact we managed to organize one trip to
Vietnam. Cooperation with the terrarium of the Tallinn Zoo and the Swiss
Oriopharm Center continued. November especially stuck in memory of the
exotarium workers. Because of the untimely preparation of the
boiler-house by its proprietor the heating system of the exotarium got
frozen during the early frosts. Prompt assistance of the Tula mayor,
N.E. Tyaglivy, helped us to overcome a hazardous situation and find the
way out without any losses.
Visitors started
enjoying some periodic temporary exhibitions: “On the Tula Region
Nature”, “Snakes’ Babies Born in Tula”.
Year 1995
The exotarium was on the
verge of survival, if that situation had continued for some time more
the exotarium would have collapsed. We were forced to cut the collection
and the staff. We had to have arrears on obligatory payments. However
the appeal of the exotarium management was backed by the Department of
Culture of the Administration of the Tula region and the exotarium was
included into the regional budget starting from the following year.
The exotarium got
the first rhychophyses Boulanger and immediately was a success in their
raising. Later this vulnerable species was included into the zooculture
in Tula and became the main species for exchanging with the European and
American zoos.
Year 1996
We came into the
second stage of the exotarium development with the start of the budget
financing. An exotarium worker took part in the International Russian
American Expedition to the Northern Vietnam where he received unique
species of reptiles and amphibians.
A return visit to
Germany, to the herpetologist Klaus-Dieter Schulz was arranged. The
animals collection again started growing rapidly. Some rare species of
reptiles and amphibians delivered the off-springs at the exotarium for
the first time in the world practice.
A famous Swiss
scientist, Notker Helfenrberger, and the Chicago Zoo workers, Ray Powley
and Steve Swanson, visited Tula for the first time. We started work on
studying the taxonomy and reproductive biology of the Pallas’ colubers (Elaphe
dione) from different populations and selection of color variations of
these snakes.
Year 1997
The exotarium
together with the Moscow Zoo participated in a long-time international
expedition to the Northern Vietnam arranged by the Institute of Zoology
of the Academy of Sciences of Russia, University of Berkeley (the US)
and magazine “National Geographic”.
In November
the Director of the exotarium made a repot “On Herpetologic Reasearches
in Bietnam and Raising Rare Species of Snakes in Tula” at the
international conference in Noice (Germany). The report was highly
appraised by the foreign colleagues.
Thanks to the
international scientific exchanges and considerable success in raising
animals the collection of the exotarium reptiles kept on expanding.
Year 1998
Another
mutual expedition of the exotarium with the Institute of Zoology of the
Academy of Sciences of Russia and Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada)
to Vietnam was held. The exotarium’s collection of animals reached 225
species 177 of which are reptiles.
Director of the exotarium
made a report on raising rare species of the Asian fauna at the
scientific congress in Orlando (the US). The report was acknowledged as
one of the best report made during the congress.
A delegation from
the Moscow Zoo led by Director V.V. Spitsyn came on a visit to Tula. The
exotarium work was highly appraised and it was admitted to membership of
the European-Asian Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Contacts with
Oriopharm (Switzerland) and Ron Tremper (the US) were restored.
The laboratory of
the tree Asian water-snakes like snakes (boigas, first of all) was
opened. The exotarium was the first among the city’s institutions of
culture to receive a municipal administration-owned apartment for the
workers having come from other cities and countries.
Year 1999
New exchange
contacts with C.V. Prestasi, the Indonesia reptile center, and Asada,
Japan center, contributed greatly to enlargement of the animals
collection. In November-December we organized an expedition together
with the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of Russia to
Indonesia (Sumatra, Yava) during which some rare species of reptiles and
amphibians were found. We also got a postage with the rare protected
species of snakes from the zoo of Saint Louis (the US).
Much time and attention
was paid to the area studies first of all to studies of reptiles,
amphibians and insects. It was the first time the wold history when the
Snakes Beauty Contest was held. The snakes represented very different
continents. It was broadly highlighted by mass media of Russia and many
other foreign countries.
Two more scientific
laboratories were opened: those of vipers and Asian pit vipers. Snakes
collection of the Tula exotarium became the largest among the world zoos
(265 species).
Year 2000
Collection of
reptiles kept on expanding due to exchanging animals with Indonesia,
Japan, Switzerland, Great Britain. A return postage was sent to the zoo
of Saint Louis (the US). We arranged a trip to Germany to see the
specialists Andreas Gumprecht and Klaus-Dieter Schulz.
Professors Claes
Andren and Göran Nilson, the scientists from Sweden, came on a visit to
Tula. By means of mutual settlements between the Administration of the
Tula region and Chermetimpex JSC the exotarium received a new car –
Gazelle, a minibus for 8 persons.
To celebrate the
13-th anniversary a benefit marathon was carried out. Many famous
people, musicians, bands took part in this marathon. The honorary
presenter of this large-scale event was N.N. Drozdov.
It was the
first time when the necessity to expand the exotarium and provide it
with a new building was brought to such an acute discussion. The
exotarium participated in the World of Animals program in the First
Channel again. The interaction with visitors and mass media improved
too.
Year 2001
Two expeditions to
Vietnam were arranged together with the Institute of Zoology of the
Academy of Sciences of Russia, Vsevolzhsky zoo and IEBR (Hanoi,
Vietnam). During these expeditions unique species of reptiles and
amphibians which no other zoo in the world possessed were found and
brought to Tula. Owing to the perspective of the Institute of Zoology of
the Academy of Sciences of Russia a postage with groups of reproducers
of two very seldom species of keffiyehs – narrow area Japanese endemics
– was received from the Tropical Biosphere Center (Okinawa) under the
special permits of the Japanese Government.
We had some exchanges with the Helsinki Zoo
and Andreas Gumprecht, the German herpetologist. Andreas Gumprecht, Timo
Paasikunnas, the reptiles curator with the Helsinki Zoo, and Jimmy Melin,
the Swedish expert, paid their first visit to Tula.
Year 2002
We celebrated the
15-th anniversary of the exotarium! N.N. Drozdov, the Russian
colleagues-herpetologists, Heads from the Department of Culture,
Municipal Administration and other different institutions and
organizations took part in the celebration. A large delegation from the
Moscow zoo led by V.A. Ostapenko, came to the exotarium, the foreign
guests included Jeff Ettling, the curator with the zoo of Saint Louis,
and Andy Snider, the reptiles curator with the zoo of Detroit (the US),
Ho Thus Cuc and Duong Quoc Anh, researchers from the Institute of
Ecology and Biological Resources (Hanoi, Vietnam), Ronald Maier, the
herpetologist from Switzerland, Sergei Prokhorchik, the herpetologist
from Belorussia, Yuri Zhuravlev, the herpetologist from Kazakhstan,
Saulius Praskavicius, the herpetologist from Lithuania, Vladimir
Odinichenko, the worker of the Indonesia Center for Raising Reptiles.
We kept on exchanging
animals with the Japanese, Germans, Indonesians, British, Spanish and
Finnish. We continued our big area work on studying animals of the Tula
region which resulted in publication of an annual collected volume
“Biodiversity of the Tula Region at the Turn of the Century”. A snakes
species new for the science - Boiga tanahjampeana- was described in
cooperation with the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of
Russia.
Year 2003
A Fund for the
Exotarium, FORA, was founded. Moscow was the place to hold the first,
joint with the Moscow Zoo, International Exhibition of Reptiles “The
Best Snakes from the Best Zoos of the World” which was a great success
with the visitors.
Together with the
Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of Russia thanks to the
financial back up of the FORA Fund there were organized three
expeditions to Vietnam (March-May, July, September-October), during
which the unique and most rare species of snakes and lizards were found
and brought to the exotarium collection. These species has some samples
new for the science and one of them was believed extinct.
5 workers with the
exotarium took part in the International Scientific Conference in
Saint-Petersburg help by the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of
Sciences of Russia and the European Herpetologic Society.
The third issue of
the annual collected volume “Biodiversity of the Tula Region at the Turn
of the Century” was published. The exotarium was visited by biologists
from Albania, Germany, France and Switzerland.
 Year
2004
The second, joint with
the Moscow Zoo exhibition “Parents and Children of the Reptiles World”
was carried out in Moscow. A scientific expedition to Vietnam was
organized together with the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of
Sciences of Russia, Moscow State University, Goteborg University and the
Swedish TV.
The exotarium in
cooperation with the IPEE of the Academy of Sciences of Russia and
Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of Russia accepted an
important delegation from the Academy of Sciences of Vietnam led by its
Vice-President and Directors of the Institutes.
An exotarium worker took
part in the international expedition in Armenia orgenized by the
Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of Russia and the
Saint-Louis Zoo (the US).
The exhibition of
reptiles was held in the Zoological Museum of the Moscow State
University (Moscow). A unique exposition of insects collections “The
Beauties and the Monsters” shown in Tula, Ryasan and Salekhard was
created. This exposition consists of very attractive and extraordinary
insects, first of all, butterflies, from all over the world, and is
structured according to an original principal. This exhibition was a
great success in all cities where it was shown.
The 4-th issue of the
annual collected volume “Biodiversity of the Tula Region at the Turn of
the Century” was published. A new species of pit-vipers was redescribed
together with the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of
Russia, IEBR and Phong Nha- Ke Bang National Park (Vietnam).
We lept on exchanging the
animals with the zoos of the USA and other partners to enlarge the
exotarium collection with rare species of reptiles. We organized two
trips to Germany as a preparation of “Asian Pit-Vipers” book, A.
Gumprecht, F. Tillack, N. Orlov, A. Captain, S. Rjabov, for publication.
The book was published in Germany in English some time later. In
parallel a book in Russian was also published: Atlas of Reptiles of the
Northern Eurasia, N.B. Ananieva, N.L. Orlov, R.G. Khalikov, I.S.
Darevsky, S.A. Rjabov, A.V. Baranov.
The President of the Baltic Herpetologic Society Kert Lipponen came to
the exotarium, it was also visited by the Director of the Mini-Zoo in
Parnu (Estonia), Peeter Põlsdam, Director of the Swiss Center Rico Kunz,
the Editor and Publisher of the “Rästik” popular science journal Toomas
Pranstibel (Tallinn).
Year 2005
The third exhibition in
Moscow “Venomous Snakes. Myths and Reality” (together with the Moscow
Zoo) was held. In April-May another expedition to Vietnam was organized
together with the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of
Russia. We also arranged a trip to Germany to the exhibition of reptiles
in September where we made new contacts with the herpetologists from
Germany and the Netherlands.
Our colleagues from
Finnland, Estonia, Lithuania, Belorussia, Switzerland, Czech Republic
and other countries came to Tula again. The regular 5-th issue of the
area collected volume “Biodiversity of the Tula Region at the Turn of
the Century” was published. And we started issuing Eversmania, the
international entomologic journal (issues 1,2 and 3-4).
We worked out and
implemented development and educational programs “Studying at the Zoo”
and “Growing up at the Zoo” for various age groups. We exchanged animals
with France, Gemany and other countries.
Year 2006
Again the 4-th joint with
the Moscow zoo exhibition “The Most Beautiful Snakes of the World” was a
success in Moscow. A long-time comprehensive expedition to Vietnam was
organized together with the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of
Sciences of Russia, Zoological Museum of Moscow State University and
IEBR (Hanoi) from April to June. These expeditions resulted in
description of new species of a tree frog and flat-bodied grasshopper
named by the scientists in honor of the Director of the exotarium S.A.
Rjabov.
For further expansion of
the exotarium collection we organized exchanges of animals with Finland,
Germans, the USA, Indonesia, Japan and Great Britain. A leading
researcher of Latoxan (France) Frank Principaud got a 3-week training at
the exotarium, and a senior school-boy from the Netherlands Gidi van de
Belt got a 1-month practice here.
The exotarium was visited
by the Latoxan Director (France), Yvon Doljansky, Chairman of the Polish
Society of Terrariumists, collegues from Finland, Estonia and
Switzerland. The exotarium workers took part in the conference
“Scientific and Enlightening Activity in Zoos” in St. Petersburg. The
work of the Tula representatives was acknowledged to be one of the best
among the zoos of Russia.
We arranged trips: to the
zoos of the Czech Republic (3 workers) to get acquainted with the
experience in enlightening activities, to France to the Latoxan center,
to Germany to the Cologne Zoo and to the International Exhibition of
Reptiles, to Estonia to the Mini-Zoo in Parnu.
Source: official site of
Tula Exotarium
(2013)
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