Only Russian zoo in Europe’s Top Ten named

NOVOSIBIRSK, Russia – Travelers around the world have recognised Novosibirsk Zoo as one of the best in Europe. The verdict came from readers of TripAdvisor as published on its website.

The Siberian zoo was in ninth place in the ratings between Berlin Zoo in Germany and Blackpool Zoo in England. It was the only Russian zoo in the top ten.

Visitors from different countries noted its spaciousness and the variety of its animals, and named it a suitable place for children. According to tourists’ impressions, Novosibirsk Zoo is ‘similar to a reserve’, the ideal place for a day out, and ‘maybe the best in Russia’.

The zoo is the largest in Russia. It occupies an area of 60 hectares, with around 11,000 specimens from 700 species of animals. More than 120 of them are listed in the International Red Book.

The zoo participates in 45 international programmes for conservation of rare and endangered animals. The winner in the TripAdvisor poll was Loro Parque, Puerto de la Cruz, Spain, followed by Prague Zoo in the Czech Republic.

Among the comments on Novosibirsk Zoo:

Stephen Robert B, Limoges, France called it ‘one of the best zoos I have visited’, adding:

‘I have been visiting the zoo for over ten years now, taking groups of children. It is a great place and has improved tremendously over the years.

‘It now has new reception buildings and great facilities. The animals are well looked after and in spacious facilities. It has a very wide selection of animals and reptiles and you could easily stay there all day. It is very friendly.

‘Beware of some of the animals putting their hands through the bars and grabbing your food, or even your telephone. I have seen this happen more than once. It is not an expensive attraction and very family friendly. The triplet cubs of ligress Zita — half-lioness, half-tiger — are exploring their open-air enclose (and) are a great and unique attraction!’

Another user kostascreta, from Ierapetra, Greece, said: ‘It was really big, clean, with great variety of animals, didn’t expect to find such a sightsee here in Siberia, visit Novosib only for the Zoo))))’

Then sirkuta, from Jerusalem, Israel, said it was the ‘hallmark of what a zoo should be’, adding: ‘Arguably the best zoo in Russia. Huge, with large spaces for animals and the feel that you are actually out in nature reserve rather than in zoo… Must visit!’

Anna Y, from Sydney, Australia, called it an ‘incredible zoo’, going on to say: ‘This is definitely one of the best zoos I have ever been to (and I have been to very many). The animals here are unique and very interesting.’

But there was criticism too. ‘The rules for feeding animals are very poor with many people feeding them lollies and ice cream.

‘A few children were feeding the bears, cookies, which was quite sad to see as it can very well damage their health. A monkey was given ice cream and bananas by visitors and others were given sugar lollies. Very disappointing. The Liger (cross between lion and tiger) is definitely something you must see.’

A visitor from Indonesia said: ‘This is a must see when visiting Novosibirsk in the summer. One of the most impressive zoos I’ve ever seen. Be sure to allow ample time. It really takes several hours to see and enjoy everything!’

A British visitor called sfatkul said it was a ‘beautiful modern zoo with many exotic animals. The best zoo I’ve ever seen and definitely better than the one in New Delhi. White (polar) bears are the best thing to see here. And make sure to take a ride on the observing circle – you will get a memorable view of city.’

Valentina F from Scotland called it an ‘amazing place’, adding:

‘It was one of the first places my husband and I went to in Novosibirsk. We did enjoy our day there. Animals seemed happy there. Though I wish the brown bears could have bigger cages. Polar bears are the real stars 🙂 Almost all the attention of tourists belongs to them. If you are hungry, you will find many cafes with traditional Russian snack food and drinks.

‘It’s easy to get to from the city center and you will find a lot of things you can do there: animal watching, eating in cafes, having a ride on an observation wheel (there is great view of the city),etc.’

Meanwhile, heckfy, from Pleasanton, California, called it a ‘world class zoo’, stating: ‘It’s well planned and located inside a well preserved natural forest (looks beautiful in any season!), has a lot of animals and they have plenty of space so they don’t look jailed (well, it’s not exactly true during famously cold Siberian winters when some of them are moving into heated space and it’s not always that spacious, but they still are being treated fairly well. Also, this is why there are not that many large tropical animals there).

‘It’s affordable, clean, has things like statues of the dinosaurs, lots of trails, so you can have a nice work out walking around, everything is modern and well designed.’

Another American visitor, banastal, from Keego Harbor, Michigan commented: ‘I can’t say that I have been to many zoos but I was very impressed with this one. I don’t think I was able to see all the animals and birds – there were just too many.

‘Pretty views, lots of flowers. So many things for kids to do – like canoe ride. You can see the animals so close – its unreal. The most impressive thing about the animals that they act like actors on the stage: polar bears play with people volleyball like game with a canister. Bears and tigers parade themselves right in front of people, and a gorilla is trying to give something through the cage to the crowd that stands around.

‘So many birds and others things. Just great. I love it. I wish I had a chance to go several times to see everything.’