Today, April 26, 2023, Mykolaiv Zoo turns 122 years old!

April 26, 1901 is considered the official foundation date of Mykolaiv Zoo. It was on this day that the founder of the zoo, Mykola Pavlovych Leontovych, decided to open his collection to everyone who wants to see it...

Since then, 122 years of history have passed: successes, victories, difficulties and tragedies. Five generations of specialists have given and are giving their knowledge, strength and work. Hundreds of thousands of animals passed through its collection.

Today, Mykolaiv Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in Ukraine. It has the largest collection of wild animals among zoos in Ukraine. It has about 434 species and 3267 individuals.

The past year, 2022, one of the most difficult and disturbing years in the 120-year history of Mykolaiv Zoo. A year of war. The year of russia's terrible aggression in Ukraine. 8 rockets fell on the territory of Mykolaiv Zoo. But, thanks to the great and persistent work of the director of the zoo Volodymyr Topchy and the entire team, the zoo and its animals survived. And we would also like to note that our zoo is going through a war for the third time in its entire history.

Mykolaiv Zoo is grateful to all those who provided help from the first days of the war, to the not-indifferent residents of the city, volunteers, and our friends from zoos in Europe. We thank EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) for the great financial support of both our zoo and the zoos of Ukraine. We are grateful to the zoos of Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Estonia for their help with feed and veterinary drugs. And also, a big thank you to the inhabitants of the Earth for the financial support of the zoo and the purchase of tickets online on our website.

Despite the difficult times that our country is experiencing today, Mykolaiv Zoo is actively working.

And as a reward for this, every day we hear pleasant and inspiring comments from our visitors:

- "You give our children back their childhood!"

- "Mykolaiv Zoo is a great opportunity for children to communicate with nature, as the nature around the city can be dangerous"

- "Thank you that, even in such a difficult time, you do everything to help children not just take a walk, but dive right into the world of zoo animals, and in such a fun way!"