Novosibirsk Zoo is the largest zoo in the entire territory of Russia and the world's only zoo, which is located in this pine forest. The total area of ​​the zoo is about 60 hectares.

Huge Zoo has grown from a tiny corner of the living, which is housed at Children's Agricultural Station. The founder of the zoo in the mid 30s. XX century. made famous writer and zoologist - M. Zverev. In just three years, he managed to turn a small petting zoo in zoostantsiyu, and after - at the zoo and a nursery. Initially, the nursery is mainly inhabited by the animals of the surrounding forests, for example, badgers, hares, roe deer and capercaillie. Under the zoo it was given to former Novosibirsk garden Alhambra. During the war the zoo was not closed, he continued to work and replenished from other evacuees, victims of the hostilities, circuses and zoological gardens animals.

In 1947, the city opened the first zoo in Siberia. He placed a small area in the center of Novosibirsk. In 1953, in the collection of animals, there were 230 inhabitants belonging to 72 species, and three years later the zoo showed more than 80 species of animals. At the end of 1957 at the zoo there was a strong fire. On the restoration required a huge effort. In order to somehow avoid a repeat of the tragedy of all wooden zoo cages were replaced with metal.

In 1959, the RSFSR Council of Ministers issued a decree on the construction in 1960-1961. a new zoo. From 1969 to 1980, the zoo was rebuilt several times. Its population is actively growing, so once again raised the issue of the construction of a new zoo. New territory for the construction of the zoo area of ​​53 hectares has been allocated in Zaeltsovsky district of Novosibirsk. The project was developed by architect VM zoo Galyamov.

Currently, the Novosibirsk Zoo has more than 740 species, 120 of which are listed in the Red Book. Here it assembled one of the country's best collections of members of the family cat and kunitseobraznyh (tigers, lions, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, bobcats). The emblem of the zoo was the snow leopard, which has been preserved only in the Altai region in Siberia. In addition to the large predators in the Novosibirsk zoo inhabited by many wild cats - reeds, dunes, forest and steppe.