Moscow zoo Moscow zoo

Short update on the zoo, seeing as nothing's been posted for a while. Lots of building work going on, as such though there has been relatively little change since my last visit (Oct 2016) there is a lot on the horizon:

  • The children's zoo is being completely revamped, as far as I can remember this held a variety of domestics (and a smattering of interesting exotics) in pretty sub-par enclosures, so here's hoping that it improves the quality of the enclosures, and swaps out the slightly garish fairy tale theme of the old children's zoo. I think this has been closed for a good while, might be open by the end of 2018.
  • Rocky mountain goat enclosure is also being revamped, goats were nowhere to be seen. There was quite a lot of activity in the enclosure itself and in the service area, so there may be additional improvements behind the scenes for the muskox.
  • More revamping behind the main cat 'series' in the west of the zoo, can't remember if there were enclosures on the walkway but either way, there aren't now. Though I hope this will lead to improvements to the carnivore enclosures here (the red fox, maned wolf and bush dog enclosures are nice, but the bare iron and concrete enclosures for dhole, lynx et al. are terrible and in dire need of improvement) I don't think this is the aim, more about improving access for the public and staff.
  • Best news for me is that the big pinniped display in the north of the zoo is being completely changed (used to house the dolphins, looking at the map this looks to be the largest enclosure in the zoo, though I'm not sure it is actually larger than the elephant enclosure). Last time there was a single bull Steller's in there, but now the glass is all covered up, though there are places where one can peek through and worship the concrete and mock rock. I'm not sure what changes will be made to it, I'm guessing they are revamping old mechanical equipment rather than changing the design of the enclosure. As the enclosure is pretty big (especially for Moscow!) it could hold decent groups of large species, walrus are supposedly on the cards, hopefully they bring the Steller's back as well.
There are other enclosure modifications taking place elsewhere, though nothing groundbreaking. I think the big hope is for a new exhibit for the reptiles, both reptile exhibits are poor: the 'giant reptile' section's enclosures are simply far too small and dated for most of the species on show, and the smaller section looks similar to a pet shop with the small, garish tanks (though some are nice). Compared to the amphibian display, with a large, though manageable, range of species in well planted vivs which try to represent their natural environment, the old-style of the reptile sections really stands out. Doubt this will happen for a while though alas.
 
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What about all that snake species are the for public view or how to see all the species

Moscow zoo has redheaded krait
 
Hows it going with the lions in Moscow? Is Max still there? I remember him introducing to the kids didn't go so well? Did they retry?
Are the kids still there? Any news is welcome :)
Greetings from The Netherlands
 
I just learned - from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - that Moscow now has a pair of Giant Pandas, a "gift" from President Xi to President Putin.

A three year old male named Ru Yi and a two year old female named Ding Ding arrived on 29 April this year, and will stay at Moscow Zoo for 15 years.


A couple of articles:

Moscow Zoo head says poised to host pandas from China - World - Chinadaily.com.cn

‘They make you smile’: Putin & Xi go full panda diplomacy at Moscow Zoo (PHOTO, VIDEO)

The second link also has a video on it which shows the inside and outside areas of the panda exhibit.
 
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