On February 12, 1864, the zoo was opened in Moscow. Its creation was the achievement of biologists from the Imperial Society for the Acclimatization of Plants and Animals, who organized the first zoological garden in Russia on the outskirts of the city. The zoo housed 286 representatives of local fauna and domestic farm animals.

Funds from entrance tickets were directed towards the maintenance of the zoo. In the early years, it was visited by up to ten thousand people annually. The capital's residents actively donated money to support the zoo, but these funds were insufficient for the purchase and care of animals. Money was also needed for the repair and construction of cages, enclosures, and new buildings. Due to debts, the Society soon decided to lease the zoo to the Ryabinin family, which led to its ruin.

In 1878, the Society took the zoo under its care again. However, the events of the 1905 revolution affected the zoo's territory, and it had to be handed over to private hands once more.

After the October Revolution of 1917, with the arrival of Soviet power, the zoo was nationalized in 1919. Today, it is one of the largest and oldest zoos in Russia, located in the center of Moscow. Its area is 21.5 hectares, and it houses nearly 750 species of animals, with a total number exceeding seven thousand.