How to open a zoo

The love of many people for animals is undeniable, so why not take advantage of this and open a private zoo? Some analysts believe that this type of business cannot be profitable, but will only bring losses.

In fact, if you approach this issue correctly, you can get quite a decent income. In this article, we will tell you how to open a petting zoo, buy animals, choose a location for an establishment, draw up a business plan, and much more.

Choosing a location for the zoo

One of the significant success factors is the availability of parking and the ability to travel. The zoo should be located in a convenient location for public transport. Of course, it is not at all necessary that the bus or tram stop is located right next to the entrance to the zoo.

But in any case, visitors should not travel more than 300 meters. After all, if you do not think about the visitors who travel by bus or tram, you can lose a significant part of your profit. It will be very good if the zoo is located near the city park.

Before opening the petting zoo, also do not forget to take care of the guests who will come by car. It is necessary to equip an extensive parking lot and a convenient access. To slightly increase your income, you can pay for parking. If you are primarily interested in the prestige and popularity of your establishment, then it is better to allow customers parking for free.

Animal variety

Of course, the main condition for the success of a zoo is animals, or rather, their number, rarity and variety. However, many private zoo owners do not understand this. Even if you are planning to open a mini-zoo, you still need to think about the "assortment" of animals first. In most establishments, you can find a standard list: monkeys, horses, tigers, deer, lions, foxes, camels, wolves, peacocks and eagles. Few seek to really surprise their visitors, and in vain.

Which animals to choose?

Your key task is to think over which animals will become your zoo's trump card. These include, for example:

• mountain gorilla;
• maned wolf;
• rhinoceros;
• camel;
• okapi;
• capybara (the largest rodent on the planet);
• wolverine;
• manula (this is a fluffy wild cat);
• panda;
• koala;
• sloth and others.

The above animals are considered to be very rare. If there are at least a couple of such animals in your zoo, the excitement of your establishment is guaranteed. Who will not be curious to look at the representatives of the fauna, which are almost gone in the world?

If your goal is to attract only residents of your city and surroundings to the contact mini-zoo, you can purchase the traditional "arsenal" of animals, which were already discussed above.

Indeed, children always react very vividly to various animals and are ready to devote a lot of time to communicating with them. Parents are not at all against spending a lot of money to make their child's childhood colorful and memorable.

In this article, I invite you to consider an original business idea for organizing your own contact mini-zoo. During his visit, children and adults will be able to directly contact animals (stroking, feeding, etc.), which will greatly enhance the effect of contact with nature. Like any business idea with animals, this business is extremely time consuming, but useful for the younger generation and, most importantly, profitable.

Opening a contact mini-zoo: first steps

First, a little theoretical training. Let's figure out what types of contact zoos can be organized, depending on your place of residence and financial capabilities. I have identified only two main types: rural and urban. There are a number of fundamental differences between them.

Rural mini-zoo. The name speaks for itself - it is located in the countryside and is a fenced area with aviaries located on it. Aviaries are of two types: closed and open.

In a rural contact mini-zoo, common animals are usually represented - horses, rabbits, ducks, geese, turkeys, sheep, goats. It is logical to assume that such a zoo is in close symbiosis with subsidiary farming and that the income is also brought by the products obtained from animals.

Opening such a zoo is worth it if you have the inclination and desire to engage in farming activities. In addition to standard excursions, this zoo can hold classes on environmental education for schoolchildren, organize animal feeding with visitors, as well as horse riding.

City contact mini-zoo. Placed closer to the city center, usually in large shopping centers or near them. In a closed room, there are enough space for cages, aquariums and terrariums with small animals, reptiles, amphibians, arthropods and sometimes insects. Keeping large animals in such a zoo is unprofitable and inconvenient, so the owners of the establishment try to fill it with exotic and unpretentious creatures.

These include snakes, lizards, iguanas, frogs, crocodiles, as well as monkeys and some members of the feline family. This type of zoo is quite suitable for a year-round visit, and the range of additional services that an entrepreneur can provide depends on its location.

Thinking about opening a private contact mini-zoo, but don't know where to start? Read the answers below!

First: lease and contract matters. We are looking for a room or area (depending on the type of zoo). The plot is easier - suburban agricultural land costs a penny, and you can take a few hectares at a ridiculous price. Naturally, there is absolutely no point in renting a plot. If you do not have a country house, then later a small part of the site can be transferred to individual housing construction and build a house there. As for the city mini-zoo, it is better to rent the premises here. In this case, it is necessary to carefully check the heating and ventilation systems and make sure that they are in full serviceability. In terms of area, choose a room with a "margin" for future expansion. Having chosen the necessary living space for future scaly and hairy tenants, proceed to the next stage.

Second: paper cases. We register our IP, get all the necessary documents, stock up on valerian and go to the SES, and then to the fire inspection for the appropriate permits and regulations. The success and speed of obtaining all securities depends on the mood of the employees of these institutions, the position of the stars in the sky, the Japanese yen exchange rate, the political situation in Ethiopia, atmospheric pressure, as well as a number of other non-obvious factors. When all the papers are completed and a pair of gray hair turns white on your head, you can safely proceed to the immediate arrangement of the future zoo.

Third: everyday matters. After making a list of animals that you plan to settle in the zoo, start purchasing all the necessary equipment and enclosures. Place them indoors / on the site so that the hostile species are located as far away from each other as possible (for example, it is better not to put a fox and chickens in the same cage). Make the appropriate repairs in the room and decorate the interior competently. Place a stand at the entrance with a list of services and opening hours. Having prepared the premises for the entry of new tenants, proceed to their search and purchase.

Project Summary

The goal of the project is to open a petting zoo in a city with a population of more than 500 thousand people to provide services in the field of entertaining family leisure. The petting zoo will be a closed separate area of ​​220 sq. meters, which will be equipped with aviaries with various types of domestic and exotic animals that do not pose a danger to humans. Unlike classic zoos, a petting zoo will allow visitors to touch, feed and pet the animals. In addition, due to the format, it will be possible to visit such a zoo at any time of the year. The target audience of the zoo will be preschool and school children and their parents.

The following types of services will be provided on the territory of the petting zoo:

- individual visit to the petting zoo;

- group visit to the petting zoo;

- organization of children's parties and events.

The cost of the project will be 1,660,000 rubles. The payback period is 11 months. The preparatory period will take 3 months. Reaching the planned sales volume from the moment the petting zoo started operating - 3 months.

Key financial indicators of the project

Net Present Value (NPV), rub.

Project net profit *, rub.

Discounted Payback Period (DPP), months

Vladimir Gerasichkin, the general director and owner of the first private zoo in Russia, Limpopo, is a military man. But problems with paying salaries forced him to earn money as a taxi driver. So, he saw that the city lacks points with night food. Thus, our hero went into entrepreneurship - his business grew from a hot food kiosk to two cafes.

But at a certain moment, Vladimir Gerasichkin realized that he wanted to find a cause for his soul, which would bring joy and moral satisfaction to him and people. So he opened the first private zoo in Russia "Limpopo".

From military to entrepreneurs

After graduating from the Ussuriysk Military Automobile Command School for 14 years he served in the 16th Air Defense Corps in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. At the same time, seven years of service were spent in the military commandant's office, where I was the head of the Military Automobile Inspectorate. He retired with the rank of captain.

The decision to go into business came to me while serving in the army - then we were not paid for several months. At that time, I already had a family and a little son, my wife was on maternity leave.

The financial situation was difficult, I worked part-time in a taxi evenings and nights. It was then that I noticed that taxi drivers, policemen, ambulance workers who worked at night had practically no place to eat. Having made the decision to open a hot food kiosk on the Moscow highway, I borrowed a thousand rubles from my friends - my first investment in the business. So in 1995 I became an entrepreneur.

I brought a five-ton container from the dacha and converted it into a tonar with my own hands, bought cookies and various carbonated drinks. The investments paid off - the outlet had no shortage of clients. Two years later, I invested the money I earned in the construction of the Black Cardinal cafe on the Moscow highway. The next cafe - "Beach" - was opened in 2021 in the Sormovsky park. It grew out of a small gazebo.

Business by the Call of the Soul

Things were going well - there were a lot of guests in my cafes. But at a certain moment I felt the call of my soul - I wanted to open a socially oriented business. I never aspired to wealth, but I really wanted to benefit people, to open a business to my liking.

So the idea to open a zoo was born, which completely captured me. Usually in zoos, animals are at a distance, which is not so interesting for visitors who simply pass by due to the lack of communication with the animal.

This is how the project was born, when a person can pet an animal, come closer to him, feed him, now called a contact zoo.

• 1 How to start opening a petting zoo
• 2 How much money is needed to open a petting zoo
• 3 How much can you earn by opening contact of the zoo
• 4 How to choose equipment
• 5 Which OKVED should be indicated for the mini-zoo
• 6 What documents are needed to open
• 7 Which tax system to choose for a mini-zoo
• 8 Do I need permission to open
• 9 Technology of doing business
• 10 Newbie in opening a petting zoo
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Many families with children try to visit zoos as often as possible.

Today there are special interactive areas where you can not only admire the animals, but also participate in their feeding, as well as pet them, etc.

Such establishments are called contact zoos.

The business idea of ​​opening a contact mini-zoo is quite promising, and the competition in this market is not great.

How to start opening a contact mini-zoo

The opening of such a site is a socially significant project that will allow children and adolescents to be involved in the active study of the world around them.

There is no doubt about the success of such an undertaking. People of all ages who love animals will be happy to visit the petting zoo.

However, before starting to implement such a project, you should pay attention to a number of nuances.

As practice shows, the main influx of visitors falls on the spring-summer period.

For an institution to be profitable all year round, an entrepreneur must constantly expand its infrastructure.

For example, you can organize a play area with trampolines, various attractions, etc. on the territory of a mini-zoo.