A zoo or zoological park is a place where everyone -- from kids to
adults -- visits with great interest and thrill to see God's wild, funny
and curious creatures. Especially in the summer zoos turn into a place
frequently visited by children who are on vacation.
In general, a
zoological park is a scientific and educational facility to
demonstrate, study and train wild animals where they are kept in
Zoos are distinguished from zoological
gardens usually with the size of the animals and characterized by the
diversity of the animals available. One may also come across some
domestic animals in a zoo. Moreover, zoological parks are places
praising the love for nature and its blessings, protecting genetic
resources of rare and endangered wild animal species and promoting the
ideas of environmental protection.
Historically, menageries were
established prior to the zoos. The first great zoo was established in
Egypt around 1500 B.C.E. The first zoos in Europe were created in Vienna
(1753), Madrid (1774) and Paris (1793).
Baku Zoo was opened in
1928 in the territory of the Nizami park. In 1942, a new zoo was founded
on the basis of the Rostov zoo. In 1958, the zoo was relocated to the
Bayil township, until the middle of 1970s, when the Bayil landslide
occurred, during which a lion and a bear died after being crushed in a
This tragic event prompted the city authorities to
think about a new, safe place for the zoo, but until the decision was
made, the zoo was temporarily relocated to the Razin township (at
present the Bakikhanov settlement), where it was located until 1985.
during this period of time a group of zoologists, biologists and other
experts decided that a park located in the Narimanov district of Baku
was a suitable place for the habitation of animals.
Zoo plays an important role of creating the living genetic fund of
animal types that are rare or extinct, keeping and breeding them. At
present, the facility`s area occupies ??4.25 hectares. 44 people are
employed at the facility.
Baku Zoo has four departments: the zoological one, ornithology, an aquarium, and a terrarium.
collection of Baku Zoo includes 1,193 heads of animals, birds,
reptiles, and fish of 168 species, as well as 193 mammals of 47 species,
400 heads of birds of 70 species, 34 heads of reptiles of 11 species, 4
heads of amphibians of 2 species, and 562 fish of 38 species.
lion, Amur tiger, jaguar, leopard, red wolf, Arctic wolf, Scottish
pony, European roe, gamadril, ordinary big-nosed raccoon, Nile
crocodile, African ostrich, parrots, etc. are the animals kept in Baku
Zoo and not inherent to Azerbaijani nature.
The species of
animals that are becoming extinct, rare and that are listed in the Red
Book are brought to Baku Zoo and preserved there. Baku Zoo Park has been
a member of the Eurasian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Pink flamingo, which appeared in Baku in the early
1990s, is a symbol of Baku Zoo. Residents of the city brought these
half-dead and injured birds to the zoo. Employees of the zoo, led by
chief veterinarian Chingiz Sultanov, looked after them and thanks to
these efforts there are presently about 28 flamingos at the zoo.
number of animals at the zoological park is increased by exchange with
foreign zoos. In 2008, six species of exotic animals were brought by
airplane from Minsk to Baku Zoo, including Nile crocodiles, chinchillas,
roe deer, Egyptian dogs, and lynxes. It was in exchange for a young
lion sent from Baku to the capital of Belarus at the end of 2007.
Rare species such as kangaroo, alpaca, Nile bear, and tiny and mandarin ducks were brought to Baku Zoo last summer.
watching animals in the park, there is various entertainment available
for visitors. These options include riding a pony, different kinds of
sideshows, taking photos, as well as tea or coffee.
President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on creating a new zoological park
on December 26, 2008. Furthermore, one more order was signed by the
President relating to additional measures concerning the construction of
the new zoological park on July 20, 2012.
The zoological park
was initially intended to be established in Gobu settlement, then for
various reasons it was decided to create the park in the vicinity of
Gumyatag Lake in Jeyranbatan settlement. The new zoo will cover a 55
Rare mammals and birds from different continents,
especially from Australia, will live in the territory of the new
zoological park. A working group comprising experts from different
research institutes and NGOs, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural
Resources and Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences has been set up.
animals of 224 species from different continents will be placed at the
planned zoo to be called Azerbaijani World of Nature. Natural
environments of every continent will be created in the park; maintenance
of the animals as well as disposal of waste products will be in full
compliance with international standards.
The new zoo will have
different sections, the animals will not live in cages, and natural
barriers will separate them from each other.
Commissioning of the park is scheduled for 2016.
Nevertheless, there are currently both positive and negative arguments over the zoo's necessity.
people believe that first of all, zoos are important from the viewpoint
of wildlife conservation. They help to protect endangered species,
allow scientists to study animals and their behavior.
broaden their outlook while learning about animals, which are important
from the viewpoint of education, interest and fun. Finally, zoos provide
Opponents claim that animals are kept in zoos
in an artificial environment; they are kept in cages or have limited
space, thus losing freedom to hunt for food and relying on humans.
Moreover, some people belive that zoos are unethical, as they exhibit
animals with the aim of making money. According to them, no one has the
right to use animals for entertainment and profit and the best way to
save endangered species is protecting natural habitats.
Nevertheless, zoos are just a place to visit to observe animals and have a good time.
currently zoos contribute to development research for some universities
aspiring to learn more about the features and behavior of different
kinds of animals. In addition, they have some useful programs to protect
endangered species that otherwise would not be able to survive in the
Finally, the zoos are very useful and thanks to the
technology are considered to be research centers where species are
improved and preserved to maintain wildlife in the world.