Kyiv Zoo, Wildlife conservation center in Shevchenkivskyi district, Kyiv, Ukraine
Kyiv Zoo is a zoo and nature reserve in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv, Ukraine. It covers about 40 hectares and holds 2,600 animals from 328 species, including a pair of elephants. Its grounds are planted with 130 kinds of trees and bushes, and the Animals Island exhibit, opened in 1982, separates large cats such as lions and tigers from visitors by small canals.
The Kyiv Zoo was founded on 21 March 1909 by the Kyiv Society of Nature Lovers, first on the site of today's Fomin Botanical Garden. In 1913 it moved to its present grounds on Brest-Lytovskyi Prospekt, and its winter facilities received central heating that year. V. A. Burdzynskyi directed the zoo from 1909 to 1923. During the 1940s occupation the animals were evacuated and later returned.
The name traces back to the Kyiv Society of Nature Enthusiasts, who founded the park as a living laboratory for animal observation. Today a youth program runs where children feed animals and learn about their anatomy.
The site stays open even during ongoing renovation work, so visitors can walk through gradually upgraded zones. Each enclosure has its own feeding area and often signs with information about behavior and origin of the residents.
During the large-scale redesign from 2017 onward, no single section closes permanently but work moves from zone to zone. Visitors thus see older parts alongside freshly opened areas with improved pools and shaded spots.
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