Africa at the very heart of Tatarstan

As a part of the host city programme, athletes from the FINA Development Centre have visited the Kazan Zoo – the oldest zoo in Russia and one of the oldest in Europe.

The zoological and botanical garden has a rich history. The botanical garden was founded at the Kazan University in 1806 by Karl Fuchs. In 1829, the land close to the bank of the Lake Kaban was purchased for the creation of a botanical garden, and it is still located in this territory. In 1924, members of the student scientific community began to establish the Kazan zoo. In 1934, the zoo was opened in the territory of the botanical garden. In 1937, the first exotic animals appeared here: lions, crocodiles, polar bears, etc.

During the Great Patriotic War, despite the cold winter, workers saved rare plant species. In 1941, rare species of animals were also evacuated from the Leningrad Zoo to Kazan.

In 1996, the Kazan Zoo and Botanical Garden became a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Nowadays, the zoological collection contains more than 160 species of animals, 4000 specimens. In 2019, a new part of the Kazan zoo – "Zambezi River. Africa" – was built. At the moment, there is a step-by-step relocation of animals to new enclosures. Animals that moved into a new part of the zoo are now undergoing a period of adaptation.

This brand new part of the zoo was visited by our athletes. They were impressed by good conditions provided for animals. "It was really interesting to see various exotic animals in the Zoo. The hippo and different species of monkeys and apes were my favourite ones." - Musa said.