Kaliningrad Zoo
Encyclopedia
The Kaliningrad Zoo was founded in 1896 as the Königsberg Tiergarten in the then German town of Königsberg
, which in 1945 became part of Russia and was renamed Kaliningrad
. Thus, the zoo is one of the oldest zoological gardens
in Russia
, and one of the largest. Its collection, which extends over 16.5 ha
, comprises 315 species with a total of 2264 individual animals (as of 2005).
The Kaliningrad zoo is also an arboretum
. Sights include not only animals, but also rare plants like a relict ginkgo
tree which was coeval with the dinosaur
s.
The zoo also has animal sculptures, including a bronze statue of an elk
and a stone statue of an orangutan
. The entrance is decorated by a sculpture of many animals. The grounds include pre-war buildings and a fountain.
On August 22, 1895 the "Tiergarten Society" was created to realize the plan. Its chairman was privy councillor Maximillian Braun, head of the zoological institute at the University of Königsberg
. The press actively supported the project, having given Königsbergers an opportunity to express their opinion in the newspapers.
Using the society dues and with the financial help of patrons of art who supported the idea (but without public funds), the society refurbished the exhibition pavilions. Hermann Claaß became the zoo's technical head (and after 1897 the director). Building was a joint effort by Claaß, the park technician Model and assistant technician Wichul. The zoo's solemn opening took place on May 21, 1896. At that time, the collection had 893 specimens representing 262 species.
As the zoo received no state funds, several activities were arranged to bring in revenue. A band gave open-air concerts every day in summer and at a concert hall every Sunday in winter. In June 1906, the zoo organized the novel entertainment of a hot air balloon ride (up to 300 m), which cost three marks. By comparison, the 1910 entrance fees were 50 pfennigs (for adults) and 20 pfennigs (for children). However, there was a reduction on the third Sunday of each month. The zoo was open every day in summer from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and in winter from 8 p.m. until dark.
The profit from this activity went towards maintenance of the collection, which, by 1910, had reached 2161 specimens, a record beaten only in 2004.
In 1912 an ethnographic museum was established in the grounds of the zoo. In the 1930s this was moved to Mt. Hexenberg north of Hohenstein (now Olsztynek
, Poland
).
The zoo lost its prosperity when the First World War
began and was closed on August 17, 1914. All available buildings were used by the military as warehouses for uniforms. The zoo opened again in 1918, but was unable, in the post-war decline, to regain its former glory. The collection diminished severely and consisted in 1921 only of 565 animals.
In 1938 the zoo became the property of the city of Königsberg, and the Tiergarten society was dissolved. It is interesting to note that, after the war, the last director of the Königsberg Zoo, Hans Georg Tinemann (the son of the well-known ornithologist and pioneer of bird ringing
) became director of a zoo in Duisburg
, the sister city of Königsberg.
: a deer, a donkey, a badger and a hippopotamus. The hippopotamus was in an especially bad state, having received seven stray bullets when the Red Army stormed the city. The poor animal was found, still alive, in a ditch by the zoo.
Livestock specialist Vladimir Petrovich Polonsky was put in charge of the hippopotamus. From a document in the Kaliningrad archive entitled "History of treatment of the hippopotamus" (probably the report of the livestock specialist) we know that a hippopotamus was nursed back to health.
On June 27, 1947 the zoo celebrated its "second birthday". The collection consisted of only 50 animals, including the recovered hippopotamus. Thanks to the help of other zoos and the Zoological Association, the collection quickly began to grow. Kaliningrad sailors brought back many exotic animals to the zoo.
In 1973 a patronage program was started in which Kaliningrad businesses would sponsor installations or animals in the zoo. Thanks to this practice more than 130 installations were fitted out with pathways, fences, and other necessary elements. In 1980 enclosures were built for mountain animals. In preparation for the 2005 anniversary, the zoo was modernized and equipped with enclosures for tigers, snow leopards and lions.
40th Anniversary park, a known regional specialist, and the founder of a pre-war Königsberg museum. The pedestal of the statue was discovered in a playground on the intersection of Ogaryov and Kutuzov streets. In 1990 the monument was reassembled and re-erected in the zoo on its former spot.
.
The raven lives in an open-air cage in a secluded part of the zoo, close to the hen house. Though Yashka's vocabulary was limited to the phrase "Ну что?!" ("Well what?!"), the intonation of this expression in combination with its unexpectedness can make a strong impression on the unprepared visitor. Later the raven apparently added to its lexicon, having learnt its own name.
In particular, the collection includes 56 species that are listed as threatened species in the IUCN Red List
:
The zoo actively replenishes its collection and participates in international programs for cultivation and preservation of rare animal species. The zoo has enjoyed the offspring of snow leopard
s, zebra
s, Brazilian Tapir
s, and griffon vulture
s. Recently Dalmatian Pelican
s, Bennett's Tree-kangaroo
s, White-naped Crane
s and lion
s have been delivered.
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
, which in 1945 became part of Russia and was renamed Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
. Thus, the zoo is one of the oldest zoological gardens
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and one of the largest. Its collection, which extends over 16.5 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
, comprises 315 species with a total of 2264 individual animals (as of 2005).
The Kaliningrad zoo is also an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
. Sights include not only animals, but also rare plants like a relict ginkgo
Ginkgo
Ginkgo , also spelled gingko and known as the Maidenhair Tree, is a unique species of tree with no close living relatives...
tree which was coeval with the dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s.
The zoo also has animal sculptures, including a bronze statue of an elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
and a stone statue of an orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
. The entrance is decorated by a sculpture of many animals. The grounds include pre-war buildings and a fountain.
German period
The site of the modern zoo was home in 1895 to the Northeast German industrial and craft exhibition. Its supervisor Hermann Claaß proposed keeping the wooden pavilions to make a zoo. This idea met with support and enthusiasm among Königsbergers, as the creation of a zoo had been discussed since the 1880s.On August 22, 1895 the "Tiergarten Society" was created to realize the plan. Its chairman was privy councillor Maximillian Braun, head of the zoological institute at the University of Königsberg
University of Königsberg
The University of Königsberg was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as second Protestant academy by Duke Albert of Prussia, and was commonly known as the Albertina....
. The press actively supported the project, having given Königsbergers an opportunity to express their opinion in the newspapers.
As the zoo received no state funds, several activities were arranged to bring in revenue. A band gave open-air concerts every day in summer and at a concert hall every Sunday in winter. In June 1906, the zoo organized the novel entertainment of a hot air balloon ride (up to 300 m), which cost three marks. By comparison, the 1910 entrance fees were 50 pfennigs (for adults) and 20 pfennigs (for children). However, there was a reduction on the third Sunday of each month. The zoo was open every day in summer from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and in winter from 8 p.m. until dark.
The profit from this activity went towards maintenance of the collection, which, by 1910, had reached 2161 specimens, a record beaten only in 2004.
In 1912 an ethnographic museum was established in the grounds of the zoo. In the 1930s this was moved to Mt. Hexenberg north of Hohenstein (now Olsztynek
Olsztynek
Olsztynek is a town in Poland, in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in Olsztyn County. It has 7,648 inhabitants .-History:The town was founded as Hohenstein by the Teutonic Order, which began to construct a castle in 1351 and granted Kulm law city rights in 1359.The Battle of Grunwald in 1410 took...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
).
The zoo lost its prosperity when the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
began and was closed on August 17, 1914. All available buildings were used by the military as warehouses for uniforms. The zoo opened again in 1918, but was unable, in the post-war decline, to regain its former glory. The collection diminished severely and consisted in 1921 only of 565 animals.
In 1938 the zoo became the property of the city of Königsberg, and the Tiergarten society was dissolved. It is interesting to note that, after the war, the last director of the Königsberg Zoo, Hans Georg Tinemann (the son of the well-known ornithologist and pioneer of bird ringing
Bird ringing
Bird ringing or bird banding is a technique used in the study of wild birds, by attaching a small, individually numbered, metal or plastic tag to their legs or wings, so that various aspects of the bird's life can be studied by the ability to re-find the same individual later...
) became director of a zoo in Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
, the sister city of Königsberg.
After the Second World War
Only four of the zoo's animals survived the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
: a deer, a donkey, a badger and a hippopotamus. The hippopotamus was in an especially bad state, having received seven stray bullets when the Red Army stormed the city. The poor animal was found, still alive, in a ditch by the zoo.
Livestock specialist Vladimir Petrovich Polonsky was put in charge of the hippopotamus. From a document in the Kaliningrad archive entitled "History of treatment of the hippopotamus" (probably the report of the livestock specialist) we know that a hippopotamus was nursed back to health.
On June 27, 1947 the zoo celebrated its "second birthday". The collection consisted of only 50 animals, including the recovered hippopotamus. Thanks to the help of other zoos and the Zoological Association, the collection quickly began to grow. Kaliningrad sailors brought back many exotic animals to the zoo.
In 1973 a patronage program was started in which Kaliningrad businesses would sponsor installations or animals in the zoo. Thanks to this practice more than 130 installations were fitted out with pathways, fences, and other necessary elements. In 1980 enclosures were built for mountain animals. In preparation for the 2005 anniversary, the zoo was modernized and equipped with enclosures for tigers, snow leopards and lions.
Statue
The first zoo director, Hermann Claaß, retired on May 31, 1913. Walter Rosenberg built a statue in his honor, which was erected on the main avenue of the park on June 13. After the war the sculpture disappeared and was rediscovered only much later, in a private residence on Vatunin street occupied by the Gosstrakh. The discoverer, A. Novik, was the late director of the KomsomolKomsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
40th Anniversary park, a known regional specialist, and the founder of a pre-war Königsberg museum. The pedestal of the statue was discovered in a playground on the intersection of Ogaryov and Kutuzov streets. In 1990 the monument was reassembled and re-erected in the zoo on its former spot.
Talking raven
A "talking raven" lived in the zoo. He was found in 1995, as an unfledged chick, in the backyard of Kaliningrad residents Alexandre and Marina Bogdanov, whose neighbor named it "Yasha" or "Yashka". He spent a night with the Bogdanovs before being taken to the zoo. He has become well known among Kaliningraders, so far as to become a part of local folklore (mentioned in Alexander Popadin's book of urban legends, Local Time). He is also known for liking cottage cheeseCottage cheese
Cottage cheese is a cheese curd product with a mild flavor. It is drained, but not pressed, so some whey remains and the individual curds remain loose. The curd is usually washed to remove acidity, giving sweet curd cheese. It is not aged or colored. Different styles of cottage cheese are made from...
.
The raven lives in an open-air cage in a secluded part of the zoo, close to the hen house. Though Yashka's vocabulary was limited to the phrase "Ну что?!" ("Well what?!"), the intonation of this expression in combination with its unexpectedness can make a strong impression on the unprepared visitor. Later the raven apparently added to its lexicon, having learnt its own name.
Financial difficulties
In recent years, the zoo has suffered from a lack of funding, sometimes even to the extent there is not enough food for the animals. Many of the animals survive by scrounging food from visitors.Collection
At the present, the Kaliningrad Zoo contains 2264 animals representing 315 different species.- MammalMammalMammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s: 59 species, 292 specimens. - BirdBirdBirds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s: 84 species, 572 specimens. - ReptileReptileReptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s: 42 species, 97 specimens. - AmphibianAmphibianAmphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s: 17 species, 59 specimens. - FishFishFish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
: 105 species, 1195 specimens. - InvertebrateInvertebrateAn invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s: 8 species, 49 specimens.
In particular, the collection includes 56 species that are listed as threatened species in the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
:
- Mammals: 27 species.
- Birds: 11 species.
- Reptiles: 7 species.
- Amphibians: 3 species.
- Fish: 8 species.
The zoo actively replenishes its collection and participates in international programs for cultivation and preservation of rare animal species. The zoo has enjoyed the offspring of snow leopard
Snow Leopard
The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
s, zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
s, Brazilian Tapir
Brazilian Tapir
The South American Tapir , or Brazilian Tapir or Lowland Tapir or Anta, is one of four species in the tapir family, along with the Mountain Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, and Baird's Tapir...
s, and griffon vulture
Griffon Vulture
The Griffon Vulture is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae.The Griffon Vulture is long with a wingspan. In the nominate race the males weigh and females typically weigh , while in the Indian subspecies the vultures average...
s. Recently Dalmatian Pelican
Dalmatian Pelican
The Dalmatian Pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe to India and China in swamps and shallow lakes. The nest is a crude heap of vegetation....
s, Bennett's Tree-kangaroo
Bennett's Tree-kangaroo
Bennett's Tree-kangaroo, or Dendrolagus bennettianus, is a large tree-kangaroo. Males can weigh from 11.5 kg up to almost 14 kg , while the females range between about 8 to 10.6 kg...
s, White-naped Crane
White-naped Crane
The White-naped Crane is a bird of the crane family. It is a large bird, 112–125 cm long, approximately 130 cm tall and weighing about 5.6 kg with pinkish legs, grey and white striped neck, and a red face patch.The White-naped Crane breeds in northeastern Mongolia, northeastern...
s and lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s have been delivered.