News about celebrating Senior Citizens' Day at the Leningrad Zoo

At the Leningrad Zoo, International Day of Older Persons was celebrated on October 1st. A special program gathered several hundred visitors aged 60 and over, for whom admission was free on that day.The celebratory events were designed to offer guests not only vivid experiences but also useful knowledge. An exhibition titled «The Zoo Garden During the Blockade» was running for zoo visitors. This themed display allowed guests to learn how zoo staff continued to care for animals during the most difficult time for Leningrad. For instance, visitors learned about the story of Evdokia Dashina, who cared for the hippopotamus Krasavitsa, which could not be evacuated after the war began.Throughout the day, guided tours of the zoo were offered to guests, along with meetings with staff and demonstrations of feeding the animals. Zoo employees also gave a lecture titled «How to Give a Lion a Manicure, a Toothbrush for a Bear, and Other Training Stories,» dedicated to animal training and education. The celebration concluded with a horse show featuring students from the zoo’s pony club.«I want to note the colossal changes that have taken place at the zoo over the past decades. My previous visit was 35 years ago, and the difference is truly stark. The modern enclosures and cleanliness create a completely new, comfortable space for relaxation. It is very pleasant to see our city and its iconic places changing for the better. I am very happy to have attended your celebration, to have received so many pleasant emotions, and I am certain: we need to come back again and again!”—shared a zoo visitor, Tamara Shchukina, her impressions of the event with our correspondent.
The Leningrad Zoo is one of Russia’s oldest zoos, founded in 1865. Its collection features over 500 species of animals from all over the world. The zoo actively participates in international programs for the conservation and breeding of rare and endangered species.