The zoo was heavily affected by a flood on 14 June 2015, leaving many of its inhabitants dead or on the loose.

Prior to that, the zoo occupied the area of approximately 120 hectares and was populated by around 300 species, native to the Caucasus as well as other regions of the world.

The zoo fell into disrepair as a result of economic collapse and political unrest that hit post-Soviet Georgia in the 1990s, with a large portion of its funding coming from city budget cuts.

[2] For nearly fifty years until 2013, one of the attractions of the zoo was a photo studio run by the photographer, Victor Sukiasov, who created papier-mâché horses for children to sit on for their picture to be taken.

Several of its inhabitants died, while many surviving animals, such as a hippopotamus, lions, tigers, bears, and wolves, escaped to the streets of Tbilisi.