←Sysoev Priamursky Zoo

Sysoev Priamursky Zoo

Photo of route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”
11 points0 km0 hours

The Priamursky Zoo opened in October 2002 on 6.2 hectares (15 acres) of a picturesque hillside near Voronezh-2, close to the Amur River. Its spacious enclosures, blended naturally into the forest landscape, house some 60 species, about 170 animals in all, most of them native to the Russian Far East. None were caught in the wild for the zoo: it takes in animals that would not survive on their own, and often hand-rears orphaned cubs. The idea was born thirty years ago and came to life on the site of the former Liza Chaikina camp, after six Young Pioneer camps were handed over to the project.

Photo of route author Khabarovsk Municipal District Administration

Route author

Khabarovsk Municipal District Administration

Things to do

  • 📸 Take photos
  • 🐦🍞 Feed the birds
  • 🌸🍃 Get some fresh air

Route points (11)

  1. Garden of Memory — point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”

    Garden of Memory

    🌳 Botanical garden · 📜 Historic site

  2. Zoo Map — point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”

    Zoo Map

    🕵️ Urban legend

  3. Viewing Platform — point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”

    Viewing Platform

    🔭 Viewpoint

  4. Monument to Vsevolod Sysoev — point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”

    Monument to Vsevolod Sysoev

    🗿 Monument

  5. House of the Scholarly Chipmunk — point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”

    House of the Scholarly Chipmunk

    🌳 Botanical garden

  6. Amur Tiger Sculpture — point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”

    Amur Tiger Sculpture

    🗿 Sculptures

  7. Lighthouse by the Polar Bear — point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”

    Lighthouse by the Polar Bear

    🔭 Viewpoint

  8. Bears on a Bench — point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”

    Bears on a Bench

    🗿 Sculptures

  9. Good Harvest — point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”

    Good Harvest

    🕵️ Urban legend

  10. Sikachi-Alyan Petroglyphs — point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”

    Sikachi-Alyan Petroglyphs

    📜 Historic site · 🕵️ Urban legend

  11. Nanai Village — point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”

    Nanai Village

    📜 Historic site

Sikachi-Alyan Petroglyphs in Khabarovsk District

Point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”

Sikachi-Alyan Petroglyphs — point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”
Sikachi-Alyan Petroglyphs — point on route “Sysoev Priamursky Zoo”

Point 10

Sikachi-Alyan Petroglyphs

📜 Historic site • 🕵️ Urban legend

An Unusual Reference

The Sikachi-Alyan petroglyphs turn a walk around the zoo into a real immersion in the history and culture of the Amur region, because these stone installations refer to one of the Seven Wonders of Khabarovsk District.

The Original Is Not Far from the Zoo

The Sikachi-Alyan petroglyphs are among the oldest cultural and historical sites in the Russian Far East, located on the bank of the Amur in the village of Sikachi-Alyan. They are basalt boulders bearing rock art by the Indigenous peoples of the Far East. The images are estimated to be 12,000 years old, older than the moai statues of Easter Island. The area where the petroglyphs are located is protected by the state and since 2003 the petroglyphs have been on UNESCO's Tentative List for World Heritage status.

Meaning for Their Descendants

For the Nanai, an Indigenous people of the Far East, the petroglyphs hold not so much cultural as religious value. To them this is sacred ground, where one can ask distant ancestors for advice, a blessing, or a gift. The images carved into these stones were left by shamans of different eras as prayers that still echo to this day.