The past and present of the old Tashkent Zoo (find out what there is there now + many photos)

What we now call the old Tashkent Zoo appeared almost 100 years ago, back in 1924. The inhabitants got there from the menagerie, located on the territory of the former country house of the Governor-General of Turkestan.

By the twenties of the last century, the suburban dacha had become an urban area due to the rapid expansion of Tashkent. On the territory of this once «suburban» dacha, in addition to the zoo (its territory was then about 3 hectares), the Central Asian Research Institute of Irrigation (SANIIRI) appeared in 1925 and the Telman Park (now Central Park) in 1934.

The collection of animals in the Tashkent Zoo was gradually increased and by the end of the forties of the 20th century, its exposition amounted to over 200 species of various animals and birds. There was a pet store to the left of the entrance, and on weekends, sellers of living creatures with cages and aquariums approached its gates.

By 1992, the territory of the zoo was 10.7 hectares, there were already 270 species of animals in it. In 1994, the government of Uzbekistan allocated part of the Botanical Garden, with an area of 22.7 hectares, for the construction of a new zoo, which opened to visitors in 1997.

After the closure of the old Tashkent Zoo, a park zone was laid out on its territory. On April 7, 2012, the first ecological park was opened in a small area of the park. On June 10, 2017, the Babur Central Ecopark of Tashkent opened on the entire territory of the former zoo.

The park has two entrances: one opposite the Catholic Cathedral (we entered from there — 3 km there and 3 km back from our house on Fidokor plus a walk in the park), the second from the side of C-1.

There were a lot of people in the Ecopark on a Sunday evening at the end of May. There was no water in the pond, it seemed to be washed. I liked the possibility of organizing picnics — bring a blanket and food with you and you can sit on the green grass. The park is not open around the clock, but from 6 am to 11 pm. Entrance to the park is free, however, to get to any playground (including those for children), terrace or field, to take pictures, you will have to fork out (from 12,000 soums, or more than $ 1, for 10 minutes of using a children’s playground).

I don’t write about the modern zoo, because in general I have a negative attitude towards keeping animals in cages. The only thing worse than a menagerie is a circus. What memories do you have of the old Tashkent zoo or the new Ecopark? Share in the comments section below.