Kiev Zoo was founded in 1908 by the Nature Lovers Society and financed by private donations. At the beginning the zoo experienced difficult times and could not boast a great amount of animals: there were just 17 kinds. The first winter the animals had to spend in the food department of the main Kiev railway, as the zoo founders did not find a shelter for the animals they possessed.

The Kiev Zoo is one of the biggest zoos in the former Soviet Union and the only zoo in Kiev, Ukraine. Situated on about 40 hectares, the zoo is cared for by 378 staff members and receives about 280,000 visitors annually.

The Kiev Zoo was first founded in 1908 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 Kiev 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 Kiev Botanical Garden. As the zoo prospered, the number of animals had increased, limiting the space available. It was reported that stray animals frightened the employees of the garden.

Only 4 years after the zoo was founded it was given a relatively large, permanent area in the outskirts of Kiev. In 1913 the animals premises received heating.

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), Kiev was occupied by the Nazi forces, and the zoo was being used by the German garrison. Fortunately, the animals were evacuated out of Kiev, and later returned after the end of the war.

In 1970 the bird's pavilion was added, which is considered to be the largest in Europe to date. In 1982, the Animals Island was presented, separated from the visitors by small canals. The Animals Island houses the zoo's large cats (like lions and tigers).

In 1996 the zoo was admitted to the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. However in 2007 it was expelled from the association over poor conditions and mistreatment of animals. In 2008 some 51 animals died in the zoo. A series of controversial deaths also unfolded in 2010 when the 39 year old elephant of the zoo died on April 26, followed by a camel on May 26, and a bison on May 31. The city administration and the zoo authorities blamed poisoning of the animals as cause of the deaths, while animal rights activists accused the substandard living conditions, negligent handling and unqualified zoo administration.

For a short time the zoo inhabitants lived in the University Botanical Garden, but each month the quantity of animals was increasing, there were not enough space for all of them, and sometimes some of them frightened the university students and professors. Only 4 years after the zoo foundation it was given a relatively large area on the outskirts of the city. In 1913 the animals celebrated the house-warming. In 1914 the zoo greeted its first guests, but the Civil War and the World War I put obstacles in the way of the zoo development. Only in the 20s the zoo was reborn.

Nowadays the zoo is located in the center of the city and occupies the territory of 40 hectares. The landscape relief allows all the zoo inhabitants live in comfortable conditions. The collection of Kiev Zoo numbers over 2,000 fauna representatives from all over the world, including mammals, birds, snakes, fishes and insects. The zoo boasts a pair of elephants. Over 130 kinds of trees and bushes decorate the zoo lands.

Kiev Zoo also serves as a scientific research center, where the specialists work on acclimatization of the far lands animals, preserving and reproduction of rare animals, such as Amur tiger, bison, Przhevalsky horse and some others.