At that time this site was a neglected plot of wasteland, more like a refuse-dump than anything else. By no means did it meet
with the requirements of the organisers of the Moscow Zoo, but there was no other choice. Its founders wanted the Zoo to be visit
ed by the public and therefore preferred to select a plot, though situated in the outskirts of Moscow, but still within the city precincts.
The directors of the Society for Acclimatisation of Animals and Plants felt convinced that the masses of working people would readily visit the Zoo. At one of the meetings, on March 11th, 1863, D. P. Sontsev, a member of the Society declared that “In the Mos
cow Zoological Museum there are always to be seen far more short-coats and kaftans of the simple folk than the uniform apparel of the so-called representatives of the imaginary “higher circles”.1
The problem of the site for the Zoological Gardens was at last solved. The. question was now that of funds, of which the Society had none. Here again Prof. Bogdanov came to the fore and display
ed great initiative in drawing in to this new enterprise of the Society both public circles and private persons. His appeals found a warm response among the students of Moscow and among the more progressive professorial personnel. The students got together a few hundred rubles on collection sheets, while the professors
conducted public lectures, the entrance fees being handed over to the Society. Something was even donated by philanthropists, but neither the government or the Moscow Duma gave even as much as a copeck.
With the donations thus collected the Society for Acclimatisation of Animals and Plants purchased the itinerant menagerie of Zam. The animals of this menagerie laid the foundation upon which the Zoological Gardens of Moscow were built up. Formal inauguration of the Zoo took place on Feb. 12th, 1864.
During the first years of its existence the Moscow Zoo was an object of particular attention. “On weekdays its visitors numbered hundreds, while on holidays the attendance ran into thousands, among which, needless to say, there were many of the common folk. Thanks to the Zoo, the latter obtained the possibility of gra
phically educating themselves, incidentally depriving the vodka shops of their usual profits. Donations, both in money and articles, amounted to thousands of rubles”.3
The founders of the Moscow Zoo were filled with lofty ideals. They meditated on organising an institution of a scientific-propa
ganda type. A Memorandum submitted to a special Committee of Arrangements formulated the aims of the Zoological Gardens in the following terms: “As a scientific institution the Zoo must
1 N. Kulagin. “Material on the History of the Zoological Gardens, 1864—1899”. 2 lb.
with the requirements of the organisers of the Moscow Zoo, but there was no other choice. Its founders wanted the Zoo to be visit
ed by the public and therefore preferred to select a plot, though situated in the outskirts of Moscow, but still within the city precincts.
The directors of the Society for Acclimatisation of Animals and Plants felt convinced that the masses of working people would readily visit the Zoo. At one of the meetings, on March 11th, 1863, D. P. Sontsev, a member of the Society declared that “In the Mos
cow Zoological Museum there are always to be seen far more short-coats and kaftans of the simple folk than the uniform apparel of the so-called representatives of the imaginary “higher circles”.1
The problem of the site for the Zoological Gardens was at last solved. The. question was now that of funds, of which the Society had none. Here again Prof. Bogdanov came to the fore and display
ed great initiative in drawing in to this new enterprise of the Society both public circles and private persons. His appeals found a warm response among the students of Moscow and among the more progressive professorial personnel. The students got together a few hundred rubles on collection sheets, while the professors
conducted public lectures, the entrance fees being handed over to the Society. Something was even donated by philanthropists, but neither the government or the Moscow Duma gave even as much as a copeck.
With the donations thus collected the Society for Acclimatisation of Animals and Plants purchased the itinerant menagerie of Zam. The animals of this menagerie laid the foundation upon which the Zoological Gardens of Moscow were built up. Formal inauguration of the Zoo took place on Feb. 12th, 1864.
During the first years of its existence the Moscow Zoo was an object of particular attention. “On weekdays its visitors numbered hundreds, while on holidays the attendance ran into thousands, among which, needless to say, there were many of the common folk. Thanks to the Zoo, the latter obtained the possibility of gra
phically educating themselves, incidentally depriving the vodka shops of their usual profits. Donations, both in money and articles, amounted to thousands of rubles”.3
The founders of the Moscow Zoo were filled with lofty ideals. They meditated on organising an institution of a scientific-propa
ganda type. A Memorandum submitted to a special Committee of Arrangements formulated the aims of the Zoological Gardens in the following terms: “As a scientific institution the Zoo must
1 N. Kulagin. “Material on the History of the Zoological Gardens, 1864—1899”. 2 lb.