Belgrade Zoo, Zoo in Mali Kalemegdan, Serbia
Belgrade Zoo, known as Beo zoo vrt or the Garden of Good Hope, occupies 7 hectares inside Kalemegdan Park within the Belgrade Fortress. It holds 210 animal species with about 800 individuals, making it the largest zoo in Serbia. The entrance is a pale brick gateway with two square towers, white cornices and a teal metal gate bearing the letters "BEO ZOO VRU".
Belgrade's city council decided to found the zoo in May 1935, and it opened on 12 July 1936 under mayor Vlada Ilić, who bought its first animals himself. The first residents included lions, leopards, white and brown bears, wolves and monkeys. Bombed in April 1941 and again by the Allies in 1944, it lost most of its animals and seven hectares of land.
The zoo carries the name Garden of Good Hope, reflecting its commitment to animal protection and learning programs. You can see this mission reflected in how the grounds are organized and maintained for both animals and visitors.
The zoo occupies 7 hectares inside Kalemegdan Park, within the Belgrade Fortress, on the side facing the Sava. The teal entrance gate in the brick gateway is marked "BEO ZOO VRU". City plans from 2022 propose moving the zoo to Ada Ciganlija, so check locally before a special trip.
Muja the American alligator arrived in 1937 from an unrecorded German zoo and is listed as the oldest living alligator in captivity. He outlived the zoo's two wartime bombings. A monument in the grounds honours Gabi, a German shepherd who was injured driving off an escaped jaguar.
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