LE4m for Giza Zoo upgrade
Egypt's flagship zoo has launched a LE4 million (about $713,000) plan to improve the lives of its animals and upgrade its facilities, an official said yesterday.Soon, cold water will flow in pipes beneath the cages of polar bears, chilling the floors," senior zookeeper Nabil Sedki said.
The air-conditioning for bears is part of efforts to revitalise Cairo's historical Giza Zoo and help it rejoin a world zoo association, Sedki added. Giza Zoo was once among the crown jewels of African zoos. It was commissioned by Khedive Ismail of Egypt's royal family and opened in 1891 to showcase imported flowers, exotic plants and a huge exhibition of African wildlife.Across the River Nile from central Cairo, the zoo is home to roughly 6,000 animals from 175 species, among them some rare species of oryx and crocodile and the Nile Lechwe, an antelope indigenous to south Sudan. The plan includes building customised mini-jungle gyms for reptile, bigger cages for lions, monkey and chimps, a new yard for bears, and a house for elephants, he said.
http://www.egyptiangazette.net.eg
Cairo Zoo Upgrade
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- Horus
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I'm with your there Fabby, but not just Cairo zoo. No zoo should keep any large animal in cages and no zoo should be allowed to keep animals that are not part of a conservation program. Admittedly some animals are happy enough if well fed and housed properly but they need large natural stimulating enclosures, not cages. The practice of keeping any unsuitable animal such as Polar Bears in a hot climate is to me totally unacceptable, there can be no sadder sight than an animal driven mad by isolation just pacing its cage.
As William Blake so eloquently put it:
"A robin redbreast in a cage
Puts all heaven in a rage".
As William Blake so eloquently put it:
"A robin redbreast in a cage
Puts all heaven in a rage".
about time, we visited the zoo in 2006 and I was quite shocked at how the animals lived and were treated. I hope education is included in the upgrade.
lions in the viewing cages, they have a larger outside enclosure but it's not ideal
young hippo which appears quite badly scarred
this little guy was just sat on his own and never moved
kids seemed to take pleasure at trying to wind this mom up
I wanted to take this little guy home, he looked so sad
the baboon enclosure was overlooked by a cafe where people could throw food down to the baboons, unfortunately they also threw their rubbish
pelicans in one of the gardens which were much better looked after than the zoo
beside these little guy were domestic dogs in cages
the reptiles all appeared underfed apart from the crocs
lions in the viewing cages, they have a larger outside enclosure but it's not ideal
young hippo which appears quite badly scarred
this little guy was just sat on his own and never moved
kids seemed to take pleasure at trying to wind this mom up
I wanted to take this little guy home, he looked so sad
the baboon enclosure was overlooked by a cafe where people could throw food down to the baboons, unfortunately they also threw their rubbish
pelicans in one of the gardens which were much better looked after than the zoo
beside these little guy were domestic dogs in cages
the reptiles all appeared underfed apart from the crocs
when she was good she was very very good but when she was bad she was better
- Horus
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I think that the above pictures posted by CC are a prime example of what a zoo should NOT look like. They are literally animals displayed in cages like battery hens, there is nothing educational about it. Thankfully at least the zoos in the UK and some other countries have woken up to the fact that this is not the way to keep wild animals, hopefully with the new money being spent, things will improve.
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Sadly CC's pictures look just the same as I remember the Alex zoo to be, what would be a bigger shame would be if Cairo zoo was upgraded and Alex was left in the same condition. All the cages and enclosures are exactly the same - even down to the monkey arena at a lower level.
CC is completely right though - improving the conditions really won't mean all that much if the animals are still treated the same, as a money earning endeavor by their keepers (If you've ever wanted a picture with a brown bear, or to feed an elephant for cash, Alex and Cairo zoos are the place to go) and also the treatment by kids (and adults) who consider the zoo as a place where they are able to wind up a tiger or two.
I met a lady last year that was involved with the upgrade and had been campaigning for it, she too also said that education was a key feature and I hope this will still be the case.
CC is completely right though - improving the conditions really won't mean all that much if the animals are still treated the same, as a money earning endeavor by their keepers (If you've ever wanted a picture with a brown bear, or to feed an elephant for cash, Alex and Cairo zoos are the place to go) and also the treatment by kids (and adults) who consider the zoo as a place where they are able to wind up a tiger or two.
I met a lady last year that was involved with the upgrade and had been campaigning for it, she too also said that education was a key feature and I hope this will still be the case.
- Horus
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To my mind any animal displayed in a cage can only bring out a sense of fear of that particular animal, especially if the onlookers are poorly educated, this often results in the abuse or taunting of these creatures. Far better that they are shown in as natural environment as possible and their part in nature explained in an educating manner. Only when people see these creatures as part of their natural world and not something to be feared and locked in a cage will the ill treatment stop.
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