We are already 20 years old!

1 October 2007

Birthday is a long-awaited celebration for everybody, including a Zoo, especially if this is an Anniversary! On the 28th of September Tula Exotarium was celebrating its 20th Anniversary.

Making ready for this celebration has begun as early as in July, when the action “Zoo without barriers” started, the winners of this action visited the laboratories of Exotarium accompanied by its Director Sergei Ryabov. Beginning from this moment all celebrations and exhibitions were connected with the approaching Anniversary: the exhibition “20 years behind the scenes of the Zoo”, festivals “Day of Snakes”, “Day of Knowledge. 20 years together”,
“Night at the Zoo”.
On the 19th of September Victor I. Vasin, the Head of the Administration of the Zarech’e district of Tula, opened the exhibition “The animals which made Tula famous” and he told to the children who came about the importance and work of Exotarium. 22 unique animals were represented on this exhibition: some of them gave offspring for the first time in Tula, some of them were described by the collaborators of Exotarium, and some – are simply striking specimens. Burrowing pythons, horned pit viper, Orlov’s viper, Moss frog – this is only a small part of the animals which have given offspring at Exotarium for the first time.
On the 28th of September at 12 o’clock has taken place a long-expected opening of the Future Hall – this is the world of tropical forest of the wonderful island of Madagascar, far-away Australia, green continent South America, unexplored South-East Asia and New Guinea with unusual inhabitants of these places (the most beautiful turtles of the world, huge green “dragon”, legendary chameleon, striking frilled lizards). This oasis of wild nature is only a small part of the exhibition which is planned in the future building of Exotarium.

Before the beginning of the procession, on the territory of Exotarium its collaborators were amusing the children with jolly active games; the collaborators of Exotarium were meeting children and adults in the costumes of animals and heroes of fairy-tales.

At 14.30 a concert began in which schoolchildren and guests were present (about 600 people); the entrance to the concert was free of charge.

Performances children’s choreographic groups, musical items, Tatyana Velikaya with animals, conjurer A.Kirichenko with his tricks - all created the atmosphere of celebration and cheerful mood.
A competition of costumes of animals in which children came to the concert was conducted on that day. The results of this competition were summed up at the end of the concert. The most original and interesting costumes were rewarded with diplomas and prizes.

Also the action “Make a present to the Zoo”, which began on the 1st of September, has finished on that day. Exotarium receive many gifts: hand-made articles, paintings, posters, pictures, poems, a large amount of foods for the animals. The winner in this competition became the school named after Lapin from Rassvet settlement, they a received a prize – a nice lizard – leopard gecko with a terrarium for it.
Besides inhabitants of Tula, guests from other countries and Zoos of Russia congratulated Exotarium with its 20th Anniversary.