Kazakh zoos earn record 2.6 billion tenge

Although slightly lower than the record 2.8 million in 2024, attendance remains well above previous years.

Their revenue reached a record 2.6 billion tenge, up 23.5% year-on-year.

Compared to 2015, the sector’s income has grown by 2.5 times.

Nearly 89% of visitors came from Almaty up to 1.1 million, 716,200 from Shymkent and 517,400 from Astana.

In 2025, Kazakhstan operated 8 zoos and one oceanarium.

The number of petting zoos fell sharply from 14 in 2017 to just 3 in 2025 due to the Law on Responsible Treatment of Animals, which banned contact and mobile zoos starting January 2025.

Zoos functioned in 7 out of 20 regions, with facilities in Abai, Akmola, Karaganda, East Kazakhstan, Almaty, Shymkent, and two in Astana (including the oceanarium).

Visitor behavior remains a concern. The Almaty Zoo reported incidents of people throwing stones into animal enclosures and violating feeding rules.

As of 2025, Kazakhstan’s zoos and oceanarium housed 14,400 animals, birds, and fish.