The Nocturnal House of the Moscow Zoo has welcomed new inhabitants - Lesser Hedgehog, or Madagascar, Tenrecs (Echinops telfairi). In 2000 we received a pair of these animals as a present from our friends at the Tierpark Berlin. These unusual animals belong to the order of Insectivora and look like miniature hedgehogs. Even though they live in the arid areas of Madagascar, they share en enclosure with Sugar Gliders, who originate from Australia and New Guinea. Such mixed exhibits are becoming more and more popular in Zoos. Quite recently the tenrecs had babies, and they are doing very well.

july 2004

The Exotarium of the Moscow Zoo has welcomed some new species of marine fish from the family of Scorpaenidae. Seven species from this family are housed in two exhibit tanks. Of those, two species – Pterois volitans and Pterois miles represent large Butterfly Fish that can reach a maximum size of 30 to 38 cm. Small Butterfly Fish, whose maximum size is 18 to 25 cm, are represented by five species – Pterois mombasae, Dendrochirus bellus, Dendrochirus brachypterus, Pterois radiata, and Pterois antennata. These species are found in the tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

april 2004

The elephants at our zoo are having a wonderful celebration - a housewarming party! Zoo visitors have not seen the elephants since the autumn of 1996, as the building where they were housed was not suitable for exhibiting them. A little over a year ago the City Government decided to build a new Elephant House. Now we can say that it has turned out to be wonderful. A lot of comforts have been provided for the well being of the animals: the enclosures are equipped with a shower, a fountain, and a pool. The spacious outside enclosure has been filled with sand, and the elephants like it very much. Now the elephants (a male and two females) are settling down in their new house with great interest, and the visitors will be able to see them on the Day of the City. The Zoo has prepared a great entertainment program for the event. On the morning of September 4, 2003 the Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov inaugurated the new building for the largest land mammals.

september 2003

In 2002 the Moscow Zoo received a female elephant named "Flora" from the Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. One of her tusks had been broken. Her periodically intensifying toothache caused aggressive attacks in the elephant. The inflammation process could cause sepsis. The problem required a radical solution – the remains of the tusk had to be removed. We started a long negotiation process with the International Zoo Veterinary Group veterinarians and dentists of the international group Zoodent, highly qualified British specialists. Financing was a problem – four doctors and 500 kg of unique equipment had to be delivered from Great Britain.

Help was provided by Aeroflot. The management of the company decided to fly the doctors with a discount and to carry the necessary equipment for free. This gave Flora a chance to be cured. Zoo Director V.V. Spitsin says: "Aeroflot supports the Moscow Zoo's participation in international programs for the conservation of endangered species of animals and provides concrete help to our animals." Zoodent's dentist Peter Kertesz, specialists Harry Crosby and Tanya Kenny, and a famous European veterinarian John Lewis from IZVG agreed to perform the operation free of charge. They are also grateful to Aeroflot for the opportunity to help the animal.

The surgery took place on September 26, 2003. During the three hours when Flora was sedated, Peter Kertesz removed the remains of the root of the broken tusk and sanitized the cavity. Immediately after the injection of the antidote the elephant got up, and in an hour she was already eagerly eating the vegetables and fresh grass that had been offered to her.

Now, we can say that the post-operative period was also completed successfully. Flora feels good and sometimes carefully touches the site from where the tusk had been removed.

october 2003

At the end of February 2003, Moscow zoo received more than 100 waterfowls of various species (young birds born last year) from a big farm (the Netherlands) specializes in the breeding of wild waterfowls. The birds are in a perfect condition and are now being kept in the Vetlab of the Moscow Zoo under quarantine, which will take 30 days. All the necessary diagnostic analyses will be carried out and the specialists will work out the appropriate diet.

march 2003

Visitors to Moscow Zoo frequently come to the Old Territory to look at friendly male giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) Samson. A great event has recently happened in the life of the animal: on 9 July this year female giraffe Liouba arrived from Florida to make him company, though the giraffes are supposed to be kept separately for some time as Liouba is only one and a half years old. The young female was kindly gifted to Moscow Zoo by Mr. Alec and Mrs. Liouba Wildenstain from France who are fond of animals and even expressed a wish to attend the first meeting of Samson and Liouba.
To our deep regret, this remarkable event was darkened by the injury to Liouba's right fore foot, which is likely to have happened during the transportation. Despite the fact that the procedure of shipment was carried out with all the precautions possible, Liouba went out of the transportation cage laming slightly. Dr. John Lewis from International Zoo Veterinary Group was requested to examine the animal and initiate the treatment. Veterinary specialists of Moscow Zoo together with Dr. V. Tsukanov, human orthopedist of Central Institute for Traumatology and Orthopedics, assisted at the surgical treatment. The veterinary procedures began with general anaesthesia followed by the X-raying of the foot. It revealed dislocation at phalanx on both digits with anterior displacement of phalanx 2/3. Due to the seriousness of this injury the foot needed to be cast in plastic. Dr. Lewis is to arrive back to Moscow in a month. He will remove the cast and take part in the discussion of the ways of further treatment. The specialists of Moscow Zoo are doing their best to provide the injured animal with the required veterinary help. We all keep our fingers crossed for Liouba and wait for her quick recovery!

èþëü 2002

Two Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) have been recently received on the exchange basis from Colombo zoo. Sloth bears, which are included in CITES Appendix 1 of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, can rarely be found in zoo collections. The animals are now put in the quarantine and the visitors will see them a while later on the "Animals' Island" on the new territory.

april, 2002

Winter is not a dead season in Moscow zoo. Just recently some species of cetaceans such as unique white whales and bottle-nosed dolphins have enriched our collection. These new arrivals can be seen in the sea mammals' pool which is situated on the "Old Territory" of the Zoo. This whale exposition is remarkable for being the first one in the history of Moscow zoo. Although white whales came from Chukotka and the dolphins are from the Black Sea, they are kept together and feel quite comfortable.

December, 2001

In the first August days the interesting animals were let out into the enclosure situated at the left of “Polar world ”. The Larger Malay mouse deer has appeared in a collection of Moscow zoo for the first time. These mouse deer are called “large” (Tragulus napu), but they are large only in contrast to other species of this group.These graceful ungulates do not exceed a mean dog by the sizes. They have no horns, but there are prominent tusks in their upper jaw, the same as in related by them Siberian musk deer. Moscow Zoo has received these animals from a Bronx Zoo (USA,. Chicago), where they breed well. Animals have passed the quarantine successfully and have arrived in department of mammals. Larger Malay mouse deer is nocturnal animal and they are only occasionally visible for public in outdoor enclosure. However, these exotic ungulates will soon be transferred to a constant place – in one of “night” expositions of the Zoo with invert light day, after that zoo visitors can watch one of the most small-sized ungulates in the world.

August 2000

On April 2000 the employees of a research department have brought from scientific conference in Germany a gift of the Berlin zoo – a pair of lesser hedgehog tenrecs Echinops telfairy. Lesser tenrecs resemble small hedgehogs. These night animals inhabit wet forests of Madagascar and are well adapted to a climbing among branches. Their ration consists mainly of insects. In their native environment tenrecs usually hibernate during winter dry period.
This species is maintained in the Moscow zoo for the first time. In the near future tenrecs' behaviour will be studied in a research department. Later animals will be exhibited in "The Night world".

April 2000

Striped possums Dactylopsila trivirgata are other new settlers of the Moscow zoo. These effective stripy animals inhabit rain forests in New Guinea. During night these perfect climbers are looking for larva of insects in tops of trees and get them from deep and narrow holes using long finger (on the forefoot they have elongated fourth digit with a hooked nail). During day time striped possums shelter in hollows in dry leaf nests. Possums are marsupials, females have well-developed porches.
We received the male of the striped possum from the private person, and the female was acquired from the Leningrad zoo. Now it is possible to see our possums on the exposition " The Night world ", where they live in one enclosure with pounchanas and palm squirrels.

April 2000

In summer four young giraffes began to adopt to their spacious outdoor enclosure days.
During the first week they were afraid to move away from their indoor cage, but now they are walking all over the enclosure with the zebras, as in real Africa.

Tow beautiful antelopes bongo are another new settles in the big enclosure for African ungulates. Now they are adopting to the new conditions. Their enclosure borders with the building site – that’s why only few visitors can watch these effective antelopes.

At the end of the summer, 1998, four young giraffes were received from SAR. These animals were purchased by our zoo due to the help of Moscow Government. The transportation of giraffes group by air is exceptionally complicated measure, and it has passed successfully. The new settlers were disposed in the special pavilion "African ungulates". Now they are adaptating to new conditions, and in spring visitors will see them for the first time.
On November, 15th a pair of Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) has arrived in Moscow from the Leipzig zoo. After transportation, these adult 25-years' animals felt themselves well and since the first days they are exhibited in the "Primat-House ". Gorillas were kept in the Moscow zoo till 1994, when due to the general reconstruction they were shipped to the Iohannesburg Zoo (South Africa).
The arrived pair was formed 15 years ago, but never bred. Gorillas become very much attached to people, keeping them, that's why their prevous keeper Frank Shellhardt has come with them from the Leipzig zoo to facilitate gorillas' adaptation to new conditions. Now these largest apes of the world occupied their spacious comfortable enclosures in the new " Primat-House ".
The animals feel well, they have already got used to new keepers and are getting acquainted with Muscovites, looking at them through thick glasses of the enclosure. Another favourite entertainment is to look through the windows to a street. For the first time in their life the apes see snowy Russian winter, and they appears to be deeply impressed by this show.