- Sofia Zoo
Infobox zoo
logo_width=25
logo_caption=A crowned elephant, the symbol of Sofia Zoo
zoo_name=Sofia Zoo
image_caption=The eastern entrance
date_opened=1888
location=Sofia ,Bulgaria
area=230,000 m²
num_animals=1113
num_species=244
website=http://zoosofia.com/Sofia Zoo in
Sofia , the capital ofBulgaria , was founded by royal decree on1 May 1888 , and isBulgaria 's oldest and largestzoological garden . It has an area of 230,000 m² and, as of March 2006, housed 1,113 animals representing 244species .History
Initially, the zoo was located in the park of the former royal palace, with the primary attraction being a
Eurasian Black Vulture caught in Bulgaria and exhibited in a cage in the garden. Later,pheasant s and deer were added to the collection, but since the exhibits and facilities of the time proved inadequate to accommodate a pair ofBrown Bear s,Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria ordered a grant of land to be awarded to Sofia Zoo on the grounds of the formerbotanical garden , then in the outskirts of the city.Sofia Zoo's exhibition of animals constantly increased, with both local and foreign species being added. Most notably a pair of
lion s in1892 , which were housed in a former stable and a lion cub was born the same year.Between
1893 and1895 , new cages and buildings were constructed to accommodate the ever increasing collection of birds andmammal s, including a solid three-room stone building in the back of the terrain designed to be inhabited by bears (1894 ), a pool where a fewPink-backed Pelican s lived, a building to accommodate pheasants and another one foreagle s (1895).Sofia Zoo moved from its former location to a new site south of the centre of Sofia in
1984 . Entry costs in 2007 were 1 Lev (approx 0.5 Euro) for adults and 0.5 BGN for Children over 7 years old. Children younger than 7 years old can enter free of charge.External links
* [http://zoosofia.com/ Official website]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
