Spring Cleaning

Now that winter is over, trees are budding and grass is growing again. The zoo and in fact the whole of Kyiv is a buzz of activity, gearing up for the summer. Armies of zoo staff rake piles of leaves up from under the trees, construction of animal enclosures has begun again and little food and snack kiosks pop up around the zoo, freshly painted and decorated in traditional patterns. Inside and outside the zoo flower beds are being dug over and filed with beautiful tulips, hyacinths and other lovely plants. I think that people here are very fond of flowers. Nearby there is an underpass that is full of flower shops – smells heavenly! Outside the zoo preparations for spring are going well. Pavements and paths are being swept and cleaned, trees pruned, we even saw a special vehicle to clean all the winter grime from the central reservation barriers along the roads.

Raking leaves in the zoo