KYIV ZOO ELEPHANT PIN

1980s Soviet metal pin of an elephant in Kyiv Zoo (Киевский зоопарк), one of the largest zoos in the former Soviet Union and the only large zoo in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

The Kyiv Zoo was first founded in 1909 by the Nature Lovers Society and was financed by various private donations. During its first years in business, the zoo experienced some hardships and therefore, did not contain many animals, just 17 different types. During the first winter the zoo was opened, the animals had to be kept in the food storage of the main Kyiv railway station, as the zoo's founders had not found a suitable shelter to keep the animals in during cold weather. Eventually, the shelter was found in the Kyiv Botanical Garden.

Since 1914, as the political instability in Imperial Russia tightened, the development of the zoo was held up. Only after the Russian Revolution ended did the zoo recover. During the 1940s (World War II), Kyiv was occupied by the Nazi German forces, and the zoo was being used by the German garrison. Fortunately, the animals were evacuated out of Kyiv, and later returned after the end of the war.