Visiting the zoo is not only fun for children. All lovers of wildlife are happy to visit these interesting places where you can see representatives of 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 very long time ago, but even today they are very popular and visited.
Tiergarten (Austria)
The zoo in Vienna originates from the imperial menagerie, which already existed 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, a baby elephant.
Among the attractions of this park is the "Tropical House" with the scenery of the Borneo jungle. Giant pandas live in Schönbrunn. In 2007, their first offspring was born here, born without artificial insemination.
Lovers of observing the deep sea can visit the magnificent aquarium, which is inhabited by whales, sharks, various types of fish. In addition, there is a terrarium. Animal care is sponsored by corporate and private funds.
Australia Zoo (Australia)
Often the world's zoos are the main attractions of the countries in which they are located. For example, Australia Zoo, located in the city of Beerwah (Queensled), received a tourism award as the country's top attraction in 2004.
The park is small in area - only 0.4 square meters. km. It is located 16 km from the ocean, in the picturesque area of the 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 his activity, he managed to expand the area of the park and significantly increase the number of animals.
Here at every step there are kangaroos that are not at all afraid of people, allow themselves to be stroked, are not embarrassed, and even pose for cameras. And besides, here you can chat with a cute koala.
Zoo Berlin
If you list the most visited zoos in the world, then the Berlin Zoo, located in the center of the country's capital, will certainly take 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.
The territory has an aquarium with a huge number of fish, amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates and insects. The zoo opened in 1844, during the reign of FriedrichWilliam IV. The Berlin Zoo reached its peak under the director G. Bodinus, who took this post in 1869. Under him, a corral for antelopes was built, rooms for elephants, ostriches and flamingos were brought.
The merits of Bodinus include the construction of the main attraction of the zoo - the unique "Elephant Gate". In addition to them, since the 19th century, the House of Antelopes and the House of Giraffes have been preserved in their original form. The enclosures here are more like palaces than animal cages. The peculiarity of this zoo is that the animals are separated from visitors not by cages, but by ditches, and the walls of the pools for fur seals and hippos are transparent, and you can see what is happening inside.
The cold penguin enclosure is also made of extra strong glass. The zoo staff is very proud of the rare animals that have appeared in captivity - this is the kiwi bird, red pandas, snow leopard, ocelot, polar bears, elephants, ring-tailed kangaroos. At the Berlin Zoo, it is officially allowed to hand-feed the animals. But not with chips and sweets, but with special feeds that can be purchased in the machines installed next to the enclosures.
One of the park's new programs is the breeding of miniature short-necked giraffes with striped fur - okapi.
Jerusalem Biblical Zoo (Israel)
Most of the world's zoos are themed. But in the park of Jerusalem you can visit the “Corner of Biblical Nature”, which is why the locals call it Biblical. And officially it has a different name - the Tish Zoo, in honor ofAmerican philanthropists.
The landscape of Ancient Palestine is accurately reproduced here. And its indisputable pearl is a huge building - "Noah's Ark". The park 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.
The "Children's Zoo" is a great pleasure for little visitors, who here can feed and pet sheep, pygmy goats, rabbits, and feed koi carps in a special pool. The park staff is very proud of the performances of the trained elephants, during which the opportunity for one of the spectators to ride a giant artist is played.
The zoo is located on two levels: there are picturesque lawns for recreation, a system of waterfalls and a lake. Visitors can take a boat ride or take a trip on the children's railway.
Singapore Zoo (Singapore)
The largest zoos in the world in our review are adequately represented by the park of Singapore. In it, animals are practically free - there are no bars and cages. Therefore, in this place you can feel the beauty of being in a wild rainforest.
The zoo was opened in 1973 and is one of the most interesting sights of this country. It occupies quite a largearea of more than 28 hectares. A variety of birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and insects feel comfortable here. Some of the popular activities at Singapore Zoo are Lion Lunch and Orangutan Breakfast.
The night safari, which was first organized here, leaves a very vivid impression. Those who take part will be able to see more than a thousand nocturnal animals that are either reluctant to communicate with visitors during the day or hide altogether.
Zoo in Yekaterinburg
And now let's move 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 consisted of only 60 animals. Today it has increased to 1200 individuals of 320 species.
Zoo (Yekaterinburg) has five spacious pavilions for inhabitants who love warmth: 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.
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, and the International Red Book. Among them: fosses and Cuban crocodile, lion-tailed macaques and Indian elephant, tiger python and Indian elephant, Steller's sea eagles and Moluccan cockatoos, radiant tortoiseand a tomato frog.
Petting zoo
And in conclusion of our review, we will visit Moscow, where the largest petting zoo in our country is located. It is located in VEGAS shopping mall. Its total area is over 500 sq. m. About thirty species of animals are represented here - from exotic to domesticated.
Adult visitors and children will be able to get acquainted with various representatives of the fauna, which were brought from different parts of the Earth. Here you will meet with ring-tailed lemur and alpaca llama, black raccoon and porcupine, Canadian fox and mongoose. Some of these inhabitants are listed in the Red Book.
