World Animal Day: Protect, Preserve and Return to the Wild!

🌍🐾 Every year on 4 October, the world marks World Animal Day. For Kyiv Zoological Park, this is not simply a date on the calendar, but a daily scientific and practical mission. Today, zoos around the world are not only places where people can discover wildlife, but, above all, “safe havens” for vulnerable animal species (ex situ) and centres for biodiversity restoration.

✅🦬🐱🐻 Our zoo is home to hundreds of animals representing 38 species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.
Kyiv Zoo actively participates in maintaining studbooks aimed at preserving populations of large mammal species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine: the European bison (Bison bonasus), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) and brown bear (Ursus arctos). The zoo also successfully implements five scientific conservation programmes focused on breeding and reintroduction (returning animals to the wild) across different taxonomic groups:
🐹 small mammals (rodents): programmes for the conservation and restoration of populations of the European hamster (Cricetus cricetus) and grey dwarf hamster (Nothocricetulus migratorius), in cooperation with the I. I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the NGO Rewilding Ukraine.
🦇 bats: a bat rehabilitation programme through which we care for five species of bats: the common noctule (Nyctalus noctula), serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus), Kuhl’s pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii), soprano pipistrelle (P. pygmaeus) and parti-coloured bat (Vespertilio murinus).
🦅 birds: breeding and release programmes for bird species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine, including the saker falcon (Falco cherrug), in cooperation with the I. I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and the NGO Rewilding Ukraine, as well as the black stork (Ciconia nigra), in cooperation with Halych National Nature Park and the State Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

☝️ As every year, thanks to the dedicated work of our zookeepers, animal care specialists, scientists and veterinarians, we have achieved significant results this year in breeding animals and returning them to their natural habitats: Animals born this year under our conservation programmes: 32 individuals. Bats admitted for rehabilitation: 53 individuals. Animals released into the wild: 114 individuals. Every animal released into the wild is a real contribution by Kyiv Zoo to the conservation of Ukraine’s wildlife.

💚🙏 We also thank every one of our visitors, because by purchasing a ticket to the zoo, you directly support our scientific programmes for the rescue and reintroduction of rare animal species. Together with you, we restore populations and return endangered animals to their natural ranges! That is why World Animal Day is a celebration we all share!