My favorite city Nikolaev

Nikolaev Zoo was founded by city mayor Nikolay Pavlovych Leontovych as a private aquarium on 26 April 1901.

Before the October Revolution in Russia, the aquarium was the mayor's private collection, kept in his house. Long before the Revolution, Leontovych's collection was widely known in Russia and in the world. His aquarium was equipped with the latest technology, including electrical air compressors and heaters. Fish were in 75 tanks, some as large as three thousand liters.

В 1918 г. The collection included more than 1000 specimens representing more than 50 species of fish and reptiles. At the time, there were only seven similar collections in Europe.

In 1934, ungrounded oppression of Leontovych and his family began. In 1937, accused of "participation in a military officer's organization," he was arrested and imprisoned. According to his survivors, he died in prison in 1940.
Sixty years later, in 2001, a reconstructed square with a monument to Leontovych was opened to the public

During the Second World War, the Zoo saved most of its animals even though the city was occupied by hostile forces.

During the 1950s, the Zoo collection expanded considerably. Pumas, snow leopards, polar bears, hyenas, and a Himalaya bear joined the collection. By the 1960s, the Zoo was home to more than 2000 specimens, representing more than 200 species. And the space had expanded to 1267 square meters.

In 1970, more than one hundred companies in the city and region came together to build a new Zoo.

In 1978, the sculpture "Mowgli and Bagira" (designed by Inna Makushina) was added to the square at the Zoo entrance and it quickly became a symbol for the Zoo. The Zoo has its own flag, as well.

Nikolaev Zoo has the largest collection of any zoo in Ukraine. Today, its collection includes 400 species and 3000 individuals. More than 50 of the species are found no where else in Ukraine. 80 are in (International Red Book.) .

In 1993, Nikolaev Zoo became Ukraine's first full member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA). It participates in 18 European programs for breeding rare species (EEP) and is a member of Euro-Asiatic Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums (ЕАРАZА). In May 2003, Nikolaev zoo achieved another landmark when it became the first Ukrainian zoo to join the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

The Zoo is at the end of Oktyabrskyy av., near the International Auto station.