Zoopark, Penza

Penza Zoo occupies an area of 9.8 hectares, the total area for expositions is 14086 m². It contains over 3,200 individuals of 201 species. 148 species fall under the CITES Convention and are included in the Red Books of various levels.

Penza Zoo was organized in 1981 on the territory of the former bishop's garden, the first mention of which dates back to 1848.

From 1981 to 2016 the symbol of the Penza Zoo was a wood grouse. Then it was replaced by a moose.

The zoo has nine pavilions for ungulates, three reservoirs, a building for winter storage of thermophilic animals, a parrot house and other facilities.

Penza Zoo is the only zoo that has positive experience in rearing bustard chicks, one of the rarest steppe birds, which has almost completely disappeared in the wild.

The offspring of animals and birds are sold to circuses or other zoos in the country, which allows Penza Zoo to acquire new specimens for its own collection. About 30 Amur tiger cubs were born in Penza Zoo.

Among the plants growing in the zoo are representatives of rare, endangered, beautifully flowering, economically useful plants - blue spruces, pines, larches, chestnuts, birches, lindens, apples, barberries, cranberries, roses, lilies, junipers, spireas, etc. As well as plants included in the Red Book of Penza region. The age of individual trees reaches 180-200 years.

Director of the Zoo - Hassan Elena Valentinovna, Voskresensky Andrey Alexandrovich.

Famous petsFront of the central entrance to the zoo there is a sculpture of one of its pets - Simba the lion, whose powerful roar has "become the zoo's trademark". Simba spent almost his entire life in the Penza Zoo. As a nine-month-old "teenager" he arrived from the Moscow circus and immediately became an audience favorite. Simba passed away in March 2017 at the 20th year of his life.