Crimea is a real treasure trove of attractions: antique ruins, medieval fortresses, palaces of the era of classicism – all of them were created in past centuries and eras. Our time is new buildings, modern highways, entertainment infrastructure. The Taigan Safari Park, built this century, is an exception to the rule. Hundreds of animals live here in love and satiety, representatives of the most different corners of our planet.
As early as 15 years ago, here, in the steppe near Belogorsk, there was an abandoned military unit: dilapidated barracks, tumbled down hedges and crumpled fittings. But Crimean entrepreneur Oleg Zubkov, owner and director of the Yalta Zoo Skazka, saw the potential of this place and decided to relocate here some of the animals, which, while actively breeding, could no longer fit in the limited southern coastal area of the zoo.
Story
And in 2012, a brand new safari park, not only for Crimea, but also for the whole country, opened its doors for visitors. Dozens of animals have settled here in spacious open-air cages: giraffes and tigers, bears and black leopards, monkeys and zebras. But the main pride of the park has become a real savannah: a huge territory of more than 50 hectares, where about 70 lions freely live. At their disposal are open spaces, copses, ravines and even a lake with the purest water, where they can always get drunk. Twice a day, lions are fed fresh meat (only about 10 kg for each predator per day). Visitors can watch their life from special ramps raised five meters above the ground, which stretch over the entire savannah.
But the owner of “Taigan” (the park got its name from a reservoir located in the immediate vicinity) had a cherished dream: to have elephants in his park. Aviaries were already built long ago, but due to various circumstances, Oleg Zubkov could not carry out his plan. And so, in April 2021, the dream came true.
Probably, many Russians followed the fate of two elephants from the Kazan circus, who had a fight right during the performance, and worried about them. After all, before the future of animals that did not live up to the expectations of the trainers, it was unenviable. But Magda and Jenny were lucky – they were written off from the circus and sent to a well-deserved rest in “Taigan”, where everything was already prepared for the arrival of the artists.
On May 4, 2021, the grand opening of the elephant was held in the Taigan Safari Park.
The ribbons at the entrances to the observation deck were cut by guests of honor: TV presenter and public figure Arina Sharapova, general director of the Russian State Circus Sergei Belyakov and famous elephant trainer Andrei Dementyev-Kornilov.
Elderly female elephants, having worked in the circus for over 40 years, went on a well-deserved rest. Now they have at their disposal separate rooms in an elephant house with warm floors and infrared lamps, 300 kg of fresh food every day and a huge aviary with access to a personal lake. Agree, you can only dream of such a dignified old age.
What else to see, what to do
Today in the safari park “Taigan” you can not only observe the life of lions in natural conditions. The park offers a wide variety of services, for example, a real safari. Its participants in an electric car will be able to drive through the park and communicate with lions without fences, take pictures with them. The children’s zoo is especially fond of visitors, where there is an opportunity to pick up baby lion cubs, play with them, and take a photo.
In addition to lions living in natural conditions, there are many other animals in “Taigan”. Amur and Bengal tigers, brown and Hamalay bears, leopards, giraffes, zabras, many smaller species of animals. Also, a special Bird House was built on the territory of the park.
Everything has been done in the park to make the stay of visitors as comfortable as possible, especially for young tourists.
