I traveled all the way to Yalta and its “Kazka” [Fairy Tale] Zoo with the sole purpose of having my photo taken with the local lion cub. This would be impossible in Kyiv, where zoo animals are kept safely out of visitors’ reach, let alone such regal animals as lions. Just as I entered the Yalta Zoo, I realized that the rules are different here. The strictest commandment of the Kyiv Zoo, “Do Not Feed Animals,” is not observed here. Instead, food for all kinds of animals is sold next to the entrance: chicken drumsticks at five hryvnias apiece for carnivores, something with the smell and look of cat food for raccoons and foxes, nuts for squirrels, etc.
This was my first pleasant impression. The second was the sight of little hamadryads, or sacred baboons. A few short steps into the zoo I bumped into a cage with these little apes frolicking, chasing one another, or clinging to their mothers’ bellies. You could watch those little baboons for hours. Their neighbors are tiny, amazingly human-like chimpanzees, who share their cage with the object of my pilgrimage — a baby lion, or to be more precise, three young lions. The other two are already in their teens by animal standards, and entering their cage can be frightening. Meanwhile, the baby lion is lying cozily in a crib, while the little chimps ‘babysit’ him: jumping all over him and pulling his ears. It doesn’t cost much to have a picture taken with this wonder of nature — ten hryvnias, as much as a photo with the chimps. At last I was handed his tiny royal highness — sleepy, compliant, and heavy. My dream came true, but my interest in the Yalta Zoo didn’t end there.
You’ll agree that it is much more pleasant to know that what you are seeing is not just two brown bears, but Marsyk and Dasha. Marsyk is a former circus star who was fired for misbehaving, while Dasha used to live in a private home until she took to preying on her masters. Instead of the dull descriptions of brain parts and pregnancy terms, the cages in “Kazka” bear the animals’ names, along with descriptions of their characters and backgrounds. The main lion couple in the zoo is Lord and Cleopatra, both of whom are aggressive and sly, as indicated on their corresponding nameplates. The offspring of these two royal animals has a most amusing name — Potbelly. Obviously, as the cub matures he will be given a new name, one that will do justice to his status in the animal kingdom.
The general impression of “Kazka” is that it is completely different from other zoos. Here animals do not resemble inmates. They do not gnaw at the bars of their cages in hopes of escaping. Their eyes are not hopeless and haunted looking. In general, they look splendid. Of course, it is difficult to tell for sure, but to all appearances the animals are quite comfortable and feel at home. So how has the management of this privately-owned Yalta zoo, staffed by 15 versatile employees, managed to accomplish all this, when the numerous managers of state-owned zoos cannot?
“We simply have an absolutely different approach to animals,” says Oleh Zubkov, founder and director of the zoo. “We approach each animal individually. Unlike most zoo administrators, I don’t sit in the office but spend almost all of my time in the cages with my animals. A few days ago I brought several new animals, including a cheetah — an absolutely wild animal. I enter his cage to pet and talk to him. I also enter the cages of tigers and lions, big and small apes. This is not scary as long as you can feel the animal. The effect and success is due to the fact that I am the owner. It is in my best interests for the animals to feel good, be well-fed and kept.”
Correct selection of animals is also important. For example, the zoo plans to buy only giraffes in the large animal category. A small southern zoo is no place for elephants, hippos, or rhinos. Meanwhile, the zoo features numerous felines, because good conditions can be created for them and the public loves them. “My work is simpler,” Mr. Zubkov says, “I can come up with a project and begin implementing it the next day. State zoos have to deal with countless bureaucratic institutions. There’s no doubt that Ukrainian zoos are having a hard time now.”
This year the Yalta zoo is marking its tenth anniversary. Over the years the zoo has become very popular and even President Viktor Yushchenko has pledged his love for the zoo. This happened within a political context though: during the Orange Revolution the Yalta zoo was the only business in the Crimea to protest against election fraud, and even closed down for the duration of the runoff election. Incidentally, it was Oleh Zubkov’s active civic stance that drove him to venture into this unconventional business. “It was my protest against the kind of society we found ourselves in,” Oleh says: “I grew tired of watching Ukrainian politicians and became disillusioned with the government. So I decided to undertake the most difficult and loss-producing of businesses imaginable — to open a zoo.”
Three or four years into its existence “Kazka” began to bring in some profits. “We set aside some money for necessities and direct the remaining funds toward further development,” says Oleh Zubkov. The animals consume over 400 pounds of meat daily. For those who want to open a private zoo, the startup capital will not exceed $100,000. In the case of “Kazka,” it cost $20,000 to rent the space and another $50,000 to $70,000 in additional costs.
Now that the zoo is a success, many businessmen are bringing ‘gifts’ in the form of rare animals. Quite often owners of exotic animals, who can no longer handle their nurslings, deliver them to the zoo. For example, monkeys used by street photographers eventually become aggressive and have to be placed in a zoo. Often old and ailing circus animals also end up here. “Even though we don’t plan on buying such animals, we will take them anyway,” says Oleh. “We do this just to help the animal, for there is no other place for it to live what’s left of its life other than in a zoo.” Occasionally a dying animal is restored to health. For example, the circus brought Elza the lioness to “Kazka,” thinking she would die there. She not only recovered but ended up having cubs. Animals in the Yalta zoo are breeding with great enthusiasm. This is especially true of the local lions. Three new cubs were recently born. The managers of “Kazka” only welcome this, for the growing number of animals means higher earnings. The zoo can exchange newborns for animals of other species with a partner zoo, or it can keep or sell them. A baby lion is not all that expensive, usually priced at between $1,000-2,000. The zoo is now searching for a male companion for Nicole the puma.
It appears it is possible to earn a profit in the zoo business without government subsidies or sponsorship. Furthermore, it is possible to do it in a way that benefits the animals. After all, a lion in a state zoo does not receive as much care and attention as his privately owned brother. But, as usual, our state has a way of putting a monkey-wrench into the works of successful businessmen. “Kazka,” for one, has been waiting a long time for a final resolution of a dispute over its territory. While prosecutors have been demanding that the Yalta zoo be torn down, the Supreme Court of the Crimea has overruled these demands, and the case is now stuck in the court of appeals. “I don’t regret having opened the zoo without full rights,” says Oleh Zubkov: “If I hadn’t, there wouldn’t be this unique zoo, and the land would have been used to build dachas.” Let us hope for a happy end to the conflict, or else, given the recent popular group protests outside the presidential reception room, two dozen lions from Yalta may also one day seek a meeting with the head of state.
