ZOO Safari in Borysew

ZOO Safari in Borysew is a zoological garden in the town of Borysew, in the gmina [district] of Poddębice, operating on 26 hectares. It presents around a thousand animals representing over 130 species, among them rare white lions and white Bengal tigers, and is open throughout the year.

How this place came about

The garden was founded in August 2008 as a "Savanna on the Ner" on 15 hectares, with 30 species of wild animals. The founder was Andrzej Pabich. In the first year of operation, the first Poitou donkey foal in Poland was born on the garden grounds. In March 2011, the General Director for Environmental Protection granted the facility the status of a zoological garden and permitted it to operate under the name "ZOO safari".

Expansion and recognition

In 2012, the grounds were enriched with paved paths, a complex of spherical tents and a zoo train. In 2017, the facility received the certificate "Best Tourism Product", awarded by the Polish Tourism Organisation. By 2020, the grounds had expanded to 25 hectares, and the number of animals exceeded 500 specimens from 90 species. Today, according to the official website, the garden occupies 26 hectares, presents around a thousand animals of over 130 species from several continents, and recently opened Europe's first swimming pool for tigers and a new aviary.

What is on the grounds besides animals

Besides visiting the enclosures, additional attractions operate on the grounds: ZOO train, ZOOlandia play area, Figlarnia, 7D cinema, Mini ZOO and an exotic animal house with aviary. Hungry visitors can use the food zone with the "White Lion" restaurant. Each of these attractions functions as a separate point on the garden grounds, so visiting just the animals can be spread over a whole day together with additional programme points.

White lions and tigers

The garden's trademark is animals with white colouring, rare in nature. Poland's first white lion, a male named Sahim, was brought in 2011, and a year later was joined by white lioness Azira. White Bengal tigers have been in the garden since 2009. Cooperation with the Institute of Genetics and Animal Breeding of the Polish Academy of Sciences, established in 2011, concerned a programme related to the breeding of these animals.

Who manages the garden

The garden is managed by ZOO Borysew company, registered in the National Court Register under number 0000049663, with its seat at ul. Dowborczyków 25 in Łódź. The founder of the facility and creator of the original project was Andrzej Pabich. The exact relationship between the earlier founding entity and the current operator registered in the court register is not fully clear from publicly available sources, but it is the ZOO Borysew company that is listed today as the entity conducting the activity.

Practical information

• Address: Borysew 25, 99-200 Poddębice
• Hours: Monday–Friday 10:00–18:00, Saturday–Sunday 9:00–19:00, garden open 365 days a year
• What to expect: around a thousand animals of over 130 species, white lions and white Bengal tigers, ZOO train, play area, 7D cinema, exotic animal house, on-site restaurant
• It is worth checking the hours before your visit on the garden's website, as they may change during the season