he Novosibirsk Zoo is one of the biggest zoos in Russia. It covers an area of 63 hectares and contains about 11,000 animals of 756 species. More than 350 species in the zoo are included in the Red Book.
The natural landscape was taken into account while constructing the roads and enclosures making the roads meander among the pine trees. The huge territory gives an opportunity not only to watch animals, but also to have a walk down the paths and alleys in a real Siberian forest. The zoo is especially beautiful in autumn because of the fascinating yellow and red trees.
The Novosibirsk Zoo specializes in breeding mustelidae and felidae and has one of the best collections of such animals in the world. The symbol of the Zoo is a snow leopard, a unique graceful and beautiful animal that in Siberia can be found only in the Altai region and Sayano-Shushenski Nature Reserve.
The Novosibirsk Zoo is proud of being the first zoo that bred Eurasian otters, marbled polecats, Siberian grouses, Kamchatka snow sheep, Putorana snow sheep and others.
It is also a birthplace for a liger, a unique hybrid cross between a male lion and a ligress. It was the first time when a liger produced cubs. The ligress was born from a male African lion and a female Bengal tiger in the Novosibirsk Zoo in 2004. It is definitely known that there had been no ligers neither in the Russian Empire and nor in the USSR and the modern Russia before this case. Male tigers and female lions can also have offsprings called tigons. One of such hybrids lived in India until 1998; another one was kept in the Beijing Zoo where it died at the age of 24 in 2003.
The Novosibirsk Zoo traditionally holds a variety of festivals and celebrations such as Maslenitsa, Water Day, Bird Day, International Day for Biological Diversity, World Environment Day, World Animal Day and many others.
Address: ul. Timiryazeva, 71/1 (ул. Тимирязева, 71/1)
Opening hours:
In summer daily from 9-00 to 21-00 (ticket office till 20-00)
In winter daily from 9-00 to 18-00 (ticket office till 17-00)
Admission:
Adults – 300 roubles
Students (student’s card must be shown) – 150 roubles
Children (ages 7 – 16) – 150 roubles
Website: www.zoonovosib.ru
How to get to the Novosibirsk Zoo:
Take a trolleybus #2 from the Railway Station (Glavniy) and go to the bus stop “Zoopark”
The closest metro station is Zayeltsovskaya station, which is located in Kalinina Square. From the Square buses, trolleybuses and minibuses go to the bus stop “Planovaya”, which is situated close to the Novosibirsk Zoo.
Check out the full list of the most interesting tours in Russian cities.
