From Leontovich to Yasser Arafat: How the Mykolaiv Zoo endures its third war and has become a refuge for a crocodile rescued from a bathtub.

Leontovich and the Crocodile

The Mykolaiv Zoo has endured three wars over its 123 years of existence and has always remained operational. The walls of the director's office are adorned with many intriguing items, including a "serrated sword" from a sawfish, which Topchiy bought years ago from homeless individuals for 100 hryvnias after they had stolen it from somewhere.

Behind the man hangs a portrait of Nikolai Leontovich—not the composer of “Shchedryk”, but the founder of the Mykolaiv Zoo. In 1901, this affluent man collected a variety of fish, reptiles, and exotic birds at his home.

He lived in the city center on Admiral Street, the most prestigious area at that time. Later, a regional state administration building was constructed on that site, which was destroyed by a Russian missile in 2022, resulting in the deaths of 37 people.

In 1909, Leontovich was elected mayor. Under his leadership, museums were opened, the first cinema and psychiatric hospital were established, and the first tram was launched. Water supply and sewage systems were installed, and streets were paved.

Meanwhile, Leontovich continued to invite everyone to his private zoo, “Aquarium,” where his whole family worked. Collections like his were rare in Europe.

No documents have survived to detail how the animals fared during World War I in the zoo. It is confirmed that in 1918, it was nationalized, and the owner was imprisoned. However, he was released a year later because the animals began to die.

The Aquarium-Zoosad, as it was then called, was under different authorities for the next several years: sometimes state, sometimes municipal.

In 1927, the almanac “All Mykolaiv Region” noted: “Mykolaiv's ‘Aquarium’ is a monument not only to Mykolaiv but also the only one in the Union of Soviet Republics. After the Naples and Monaco zoos, it ranks third in Europe by the richness of its exhibits, making it of great interest.”

Nikolai Leontovich was dismissed from the zoo in 1930, and seven years later, he was evicted from his own home and arrested for alleged connections with counter-revolutionaries, meaning those who opposed the revolution. He was sentenced to ten years in prison without the right to correspondence.

“He supposedly died in 1941, likely executed in the Kharkiv NKVD prison (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs). The Red Army was retreating, and prisoners were neither taken nor left behind,” suggests Vladimir Topchiy.

He dedicated about 20 years to resurrecting Leontovich's name from obscurity. He wrote a book titled “My Leontovich,” facilitated the establishment of a monument, and initiated the naming of a city square and an order in his honor.

Relics from the founder of the zoo's home—his late 19th-century portrait, inkwell, microscope, and personal items—are preserved by Topchiy like the apple of his eye. They are securely hidden from Russian missiles.

The Germans Funded the Zoo but Executed the Lions

During World War II and until 1967, the zoo was managed by Fyodor Nichikov. At that time, there was no water, which had to be transported in barrels from Ingul, causing aquarium fish to perish. There was also a shortage of food; zoo workers searched the city for dead horses to butcher for the carnivores.

The Germans summoned Nichikov to the commandant's office on the tenth day after entering Mykolaiv. They were surprised he hadn't fled. He replied that he couldn't abandon the animals. In an official memo, he stated that the animals needed food and the workers required salaries. He received funding.

From that time, tickets have survived—with information printed in Ukrainian and German. The price was 50 kopecks for children and 1 ruble for adults. There are also records of salaries: 280, 340, 400 rubles. For context, a haystack cost 7,000 rubles back then.

Nobility vanished when the Germans retreated in 1944. The director's wife recalled: “We managed to hide some animals in the basement and disguised the entrance. Shrapnel from explosions at the factory rained down on the zoo, and the sound of bombing echoed around us. Germans and police knocked on the gate constantly.”

“The Germans urged us to leave because they planned to mine the zoo. Fortunately, they didn’t, and we remained at our post. It became increasingly difficult to feed and water the animals. A German vehicle drove around the city, announcing in Russian that men hiding must appear at a certain time or be found and executed, along with their families.”

“At the same time, Director Nichikov hid with three workers in the attic above the lions. After that announcement, I moved them to the basement and concealed them in a niche with old cages. They sat like that for three days. On March 28 at dawn, I saw our soldiers through the window. I was overjoyed.”

In the guestbook, the first entry on March 29, 1944, read: “In liberated Mykolaiv, we visited the ‘Aquarium-Zoosad’ for the first time. The first to enter was military unit No. 251. Many were killed by the German invaders. Lions and bears were shot. Only empty cages remained. Crocodiles, peacocks, and a few other animals survived. The water in the aquariums was frozen. Goldfish swam under the ice. Squad commander Chuchkov.”

Gradually, the zoo was restored and relocated in 1978 to its current 20-hectare site.

The Current War: Eight Bombs from the Russians and Online Tickets from Around the World

Today, the zoo boasts the largest collection of animals in Ukraine: 450 species and around 4,000 individuals. There are rare species, including a polar bear and a snow leopard.

When asked about his favorites, Topchiy jokingly replies with a serious expression: “There are two: my wife Tatyana, who started working at the zoo before I did, and a striped hyena. Not a spotted one. The mother rejected the newborn cubs, so my wife and I took them home. It turned out they are very beautiful and gentle creatures.”

I ask if he knows every animal in the zoo.

“When I was the deputy, I knew them all; now I have many official duties and can spend a day without leaving my office.”

Right now, he has a meeting with the staff. Topchiy lets us wander around the zoo, planning to join us later, showing us the tails of missiles that have landed here since the beginning of the great war. Eight in three months. Miraculously, both people and animals survived.

“Since fall 2021, I sensed there would be an invasion, so I tried to stockpile food. At 6 AM on February 24, a friend called, saying, ‘I’m rushing to buy canned meat.’ I told him it was too late and to let me sleep for two more hours. And I actually fell asleep,” recalls Vladimir Nikolaevich.

Mykolaiv residents fled the city in panic; out of 500,000, only 200 evacuated. Transportation halted, and the city was constantly shelled. Fighting occurred just 800 meters from the zoo.

At that time, more than 230 employees worked at the institution, but only one person left. Those who stayed moved here with their families and remained for four months! Thankfully, each of the seven departments has a utility room with hot water, a toilet, a stove, and a sofa.

Meanwhile, city residents brought hundreds of animals to the zoo: hamsters and chinchillas, guinea pigs and parrots. They pleaded: “Just keep them safe; we’ll return to collect them.” What could be done? They took in all except dogs and cats.

“‘I have a crocodile living in my bathtub. Will you take it?’—someone called the director—‘Are you out of your mind?’”

While Vladimir was on his way to work, a large Nile crocodile was already delivered. Named Yasir Arafat, he still resides at the zoo. The smaller animals were partially taken by Mykolaiv residents who returned home.

In the first weeks, the director realized that food supplies were rapidly dwindling. What to do? Where to find resources? They asked followers for help on social