Despite its venerable age the celebrant looks not bad at all. Last Thursday
workers put the finishing touches to the Kyiv Zoo, which would receive
thousands of guests the next morning.
Currently, it is populated by over 2,000 birds and animals representing
317 species. Pelicans, flamingoes, and Kazik, a cassowary from South America,
are veteran inmates. Each has spent more than 30 years here. The latest
newcomer is a cow-elephant with the unpronounceable name Dirndl, the elephant
Boy's paramour.
250 work here. Deputy Director Tetiana Kachan says that most of them
are former members of young nature lovers' clubs.
Long-lived animals - hippos, rhinos, and the elephant - are among the
zoo veterans. Staffers state that the animals have been spared the economic
discomfort of the past several years as their ration has remained unchanged
since Soviet times: vegetables, cereals, meat, and even bread.
The Kyiv Zoo has been renovated thrice previously: in 1935, 1950, and
in the early 1960s. The last pavilion was built in 1982, then came simply
cosmetic repairs. According to Director Mykola Tokariev, this time the
city administration decided to honor the jubilee and allocated Hr 26 million
for new structures. Next year the zoo will start getting ready for the
new millennium.







