Moscow Zoo in Moscow, Moskva River, Russia | Zoo

Moscow Zoo in Moscow, Central Federal District, Russia, has come a long way from its beginnings as a small Zoological garden to the large scientific, educational and conservation institution that it is today.
Moscow Zoo was founded in 1864 on the original 17th century territory of the village of Voskresenkoye near the Presnya River. The nearby Presnya ponds were famous for their pure water, and in the 18th century a large fish farm was set up here.
Moscow Zoo functioned even during the years of the Second World War, when more than six million people visited its animals and educational centers. The Zoo continued to expand and by the 1960s it boasted more than 500 species and subspecies and 3.5 thousand specimens. During the 1980s there were growing fears as to the state of disrepair of most of the Zoo buildings and enclosures and in the early 1990s Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov initated and funded a massive redevelopment project that aimed to completely reconstruct and modernize the Zoo.
Today Moscow Zoo in Moscow, Central Federal District, covers an area of 20 hectares and is home to 960 species and over 5,000 animals and birds in all. The Zoo's numerous rare and exotic species include Przewalski's wild horses, musk oxen with magnificent sharply-bent horns, Pere David's deer, wolves with manes of a yellowish red, Siberian tigers, handsome gray snow leopards, spectacled bears with white collars and white or yellow rings around the eyes, and tortillas from the Seychelles. The Zoo also boasts an impressive and varied collection of birds, the most exotic of which is undoubtedly the Australian emu, which stands nearly two meters high. The Zoo's Monkey and Cat Houses and aquariums are great favorites with the children and kids of all ages are kept constantly entertained by the animals, the information displays, the children's playgrounds and the numerous souvenir shops and cafes that are located throughout the territory of the Zoo. Don't miss the Night World and African Pavilions or the exhibitions of animalistic art in the Monkey House. The Zoo is the perfect day out for the kids.