The history of the creation of the zoo begins in the 90s of the 19th century, when, on the initiative of Kharkiv University professor Oleksandr Fedorovych Brandt, the Aquarena exhibition was organized on the territory of the botanical garden, which was located in the heart of the city.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the formation stage of a large zoo exposition was completed. A large batch of ungulates arrived from Askania-Nova, and in 1901, the South Russian Acclimatization Society opened a department of fish farming and fishing. Since then, the zoo’s collection has been regularly replenished with local fauna and exotic species.

After the civil war, the zoo fell into disrepair. Its restoration began in the 20s of the 20th century. In 1925, the first group of young biologists in Ukraine began its work. This same year, for the first time in Ukraine, elephants began to be exhibited at Kharkiv Zoo.

In May 1928, an echelon with animals arrived from Hamburg. It included: a lioness, a female leopard and a llama, one pair of Bennett’s kangaroos each, raccoons, African civets, mongooses, 10 different types of monkeys, 10 types of parrots, pink pelicans, white-cheeked blackbirds. In June, 6 porcupines, 9 curly pelicans, 7 swans and 96 specimens of various waterfowl were delivered from Lankaran. In 1928, the zoo got lions, fallow deer, two-humped camel, a buffalo, wolves, pelicans, pheasants, and wild ducks.

In the 1930s, capital premises were built for keeping primates, birds, carnivorous mammals and elephants, which functioned until 2016. The first multi-species exhibits were created at the ponds and in the Mountain enclosure (ungulates).

During the Great Patriotic War, the zoo was destroyed and most of its inhabitants died. However, its opening and restoration work began immediately after the liberation of Kharkiv (August 23, 1943). Restoration work was completed in 1953. The most significant event of the 1950s was the first case of successful breeding of elephants in the history of Ukraine (1958). From the end of the 1950s, a period of “renaissance” began, when large-scale construction work was started.

At the beginning of the 60s, visitors could enjoy the zoo: an antelope house with an aquarium on the second floor, a hippopotamus, many buildings and structures were being reconstructed.

The large-scale reconstruction of Kharkiv Zoo began in 2016. The renovated zoo was opened in 2021.

Sumatran orangutan (lat. Pongo abelii), Humboldt penguin (lat. Spheniscus humboldti), large anteater (lat. Myrmecophaga tridactyla), three-toed sloth (lat. Bradypus tridactylus), meerkats (lat. Suricata suricatta). The conditions for keeping carnivorous mammals, in particular brown and Himalayan bears, Amur leopards and tigers, have been improved significantly – the enclosures are organized in such a way that the animals choose to show themselves to visitors or remain in their own privacy.

After the old building for keeping birds, the real pride has become the spacious aviaries, where even the Steppe Eagle, the Black Vulture and the Vulture can spread their wings and feel the pleasant movement of their feathers during flight.

The enclosures and buildings for keeping Asian elephants have been significantly updated. Spacious area allows keeping groups of animals, which makes it possible to restore the reproduction of this species in Kharkiv Zoo.

Kharkiv Zoo does not stop developing, creating conditions for its wards which are as close as possible to natural ones, it is an essential requirement of nature conservation associations.

The modern team of Kharkiv Zoo is a team of professionals who know and love their work. Management positions in zoological departments are occupied by employees with higher education, many of whom are students of the group of young biologists at Kharkiv Zoo.

Kharkiv Zoo after reconstruction

The date of August 23, 2021, when the completely renovated Kharkiv Zoo with new exhibits opened its doors to visitors, will remain forever in the history of  Kharkiv city. The philosophy of the zoo and its territorial organization have fundamentally been changed. Now it’s like being in the wild: a lot of space, natural decoration of the enclosure, a minimum of barriers and a maximum of the beauty of the animal world.

The modern level and approach to keeping animals, comfort for visitors and compliance with all modern requirements – having made a huge leap from the past to the future, Kharkiv Zoo has become an object of admiration and a real gem not only in Kharkiv, but also for the whole of Ukraine!

The zoo was completely rebuilt – new exhibits, new communications, new toilets, new cafes, a new economic area and a new administration building. On an area of ​​16 hectares, approximately 10 hectares are dedicated to the thematic exposition. The zoo collection was radically revised, this work was carried out with the participation of EAZA specialists. At the moment, the zoo is a candidate for full membership of EAZA.

The new “Tiger Trail” exhibit is one of the largest and most complex in the renewed  Kharkiv Zoo. The inhabitants of this exposition represent one of the most interesting and peculiar natural regions of the world – the Far East, which includes Japan, Korea, and Eastern China.

African savannah. The largest enclosure for savannahs. It is planned to keep zebras and blue wildebeests on the spacious lawns, which will be joined by cannas, giraffes and African ostriches.

African safari. The exhibition is housed in three neighboring buildings. The first is dominated by African predators: lions and spotted hyenas. In the second, there are pelicans and cormorants with a large pond. In the third building, hippopotamus, Nile crocodiles, hieroglyphic pythons, cat lemurs and Egyptian krystals are exhibited. Vultures and bald eagles are also included in the exposition of this zone.

The kingdom of elephants. Spacious houses with large enclosures, trees and pools are given to the giants of the land – Asian elephants. Here everything is provided for  comfortable life, so  these intelligent animals do not get bored.

Planet of the Apes. It is a unique building for our country. Especially noteworthy are the huge summer enclosures, inside which trees grow. Here you can get acquainted with great apes – orangutans. In the near future, they will be joined by chimpanzees.

Wild Australia. A small mixed exposition, which is adjacent to the Gondwana exposition building on the western side. Emus are housed in an enclosure with a grass cover, and in the future it is planned to share them with giant kangaroos.

The capital winter structure, the exposition, is represented by the inhabitants of the continents that were once united in the giant mega-continent of Gondwana. “South America” ​​is represented by brown capuchins, marmosets, agoutis and tapirs, “Africa” ​​by green monkeys, and “Australia” by emus, black swans and parrots.

South America. The reconstruction of the summer exposition, which is designed in the form of a huge aviary, is coming to an end, where visitors will be able to admire the free flight of birds – red ibises, herons, pink grebes – in the immediate vicinity. It is also planned to keep pink flamingos, peccaries, capybaras, tapirs, martens, nandu and other animals – amazing representatives of the South American fauna.

Inhabitants of the mountains. The exposition consists of two disconnected sections of the rocky landscape. On the first, it is provided for the maintenance of lop-horned goats, and on the second, maned rams live.

Camels The exposition is presented by some of the most unusual animals, namely two-humped camels from the deserts of Asia and guanacos – their smaller relatives from the plains and mountains of South America.

Alligator. A separate facility, along with an outdoor pond, adjacent to the American Exposition, is dedicated to keeping Mississippi alligators.

Three more exhibitions are planned to open in the near future:

The world of the coast. Aviaries with spacious pools are planned to be inhabited by various aquatic animals from different parts of the globe. Polar bears will live here. The complex for Humboldt penguins is already open to visitors. Otters and striped raccoons will be located in the neighborhood, and the exposition will also be represented by aquatic birds.

Terrarium. A capital structure designed for year-round exposition of tropical invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles, including terrariums and aquaterrariums. Emperor scorpions, bird-eating spiders, exotic amphibians, chameleons, lizards, snakes and turtles will be exhibited.

Children’s zoo. The exposition is unique in that young naturalists will be engaged here. This is their zoo, where children get unique experience and practical skills in caring for a wide variety of wild animals.

In the renovated zoo, visitors can observe the animals as much as possible thanks to overpass observation decks, special impact-resistant triplex glass, electric fences, artificial moats with water and other “obstacles” that have replaced the usual barriers.