It closed after 140 years but the animals are still there: the Buenos Aires zoo closed its doors a year ago, but the animals are still behind bars.
It closed after 140 years, but the animals are still there: it zoo of Buenos Aires, which closed its doors a year ago, has now become a public park, but there is still no talk of removing animals from cages.
Hundreds of animals remained behind bars, in a noisy limbo of buses and cars, in the middle of one of the most congested areas of the Argentine capital. What are they doing there? Wasn't it rumored that they would be transferred to Argentine nature reserves, where they would find a habitat suitable for their species?
This was not the case. The zoo opened in 1875 on what was then a quiet area on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. The first director decided that the animals would be housed in buildings that reflected their countries of origin. Thus, a replica of a Hindu temple was built for the Asian elephants, for the giraffes an Islamic inspired structure, for the red panda a Chinese pagoda. Many of these buildings today remain on an area of approximately 18 hectares, but the structures are in need of repair. In addition, all around it has become an urban area of crowded boulevards with buses, traffic and pollution of all kinds.
Nothing has happened since last July: a new management plan has only been announced, which however does not determine in detail the fate of lions, elephants and so on. The new plan of the city government, in fact, would give little specificity on how improvements will be made and more: it also seems that many animals have been trained to be real tourist attractions and experts fear they may not be able to survive in a different place. What seems certain is that some condors would have been released and about 360 animals saved and sent to other institutions. But not a single city-owned animal was transferred.
“We are going from bad to worse,” admits Claudio Bertonatti, former director of the Buenos Aires zoo and consultant for the non-governmental organization Fundacion Azara.
Mayor Larreta had announced that the animals could not be left in such a polluted area of the city, but nothing has changed since then, as the process has proved more difficult than expected. "Doing things quickly could harm the animals, so we will take our time," the mayor added, saying that some may remain in their cages because the risk of moving them is too great.
What will happen? Nice to know. Some point out the plan you focus on architectural projects in the long run and on the expansion of green spaces, but that there are no detailed plans for existing animals. A coalition of a dozen conservative and veterinary groups reviewed the city's master plan draft and asked officials to specify which animals will be permanently housed in the park and under what conditions.
READ also: BUENOS AIRES ZOO CLOSES AFTER 140 YEARS: 2500 ANIMALS WILL LIVE IN THE NATURE RESERVES
They replied that the only changes made by the closed zoo "are the name change, an increase in the cost of tickets and the closure of some areas and more staff, without this improving the conditions of the animals".
Even so, the park has practically gone from 10 visitors a day to 2 and some areas are closed to the public.
On zoos and animal abuse you may also be interested in:
- The 7 saddest zoos in the world
- THE INDONESIAN ZOO OF HORRORS: ANIMALS ARE DYING OF HUNGER (PETITION)
- ANIMAL MAL-TREATMENT: 10 HORRIBLE PRACTICES CHINA SHOULD ABOLISH
- THE RHINO AT THE PARIS ZOO KILLED BY POACHERS FOR HIS HORN
- ANIMALS OF A ZOO IN ARMENIA ABANDONED AND LEFT TO DIE (PHOTO)
"There are small infrastructure changes but there is total deterioration," said Juan Carlos Sassaroli, a veterinarian who previously worked at the zoo. "The fences have not been changed, and obviously the animals suffer."
Our impression? It seems you expect these animals to kick the bucket ...
Germana Carillo
Photo Credits
