Space at a premium in Africa's oldest zoo

CAIRO - Boba springs left and right for a Cairo zookeeper feeding him fruit, but the chimp's exuberance contrasts with the pitiful lack of space and natural habitat in Africa's oldest zoo.

Under the tall trees in the expansive Giza Zoo in central Cairo, children throw morsels to several monkeys, trying to elicit a funny reaction.

Other kids crowd around the pen of Naima, an elephant who extends her trunk from behind the bars for treats.

"We wish the natural environment could be recreated for the animals. It's not normal for an elephant to live in a tight space and on hard ground," said Mona Khalil, who heads the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals.

The zoo was built in 1891, not long after the inauguration of the Suez Canal, and extends over a 344,000-square meter area planted with exotic trees from abroad.

Amid the eucalyptus and palms, a metal suspension bridge designed by Gustave Eiffel harks back to an era when Egypt strove for modernity and scientific progress.

The zoo boasts 4,500 animals of 28 species, according to Mohammed Rajai, who heads the government's central authority for zoos.

One practice that has been criticized is its "photography unit" which hires cameramen to take pictures of zoo-goers with the animals. They can be photographed holding a vulture or a lion cub, among other animals.

"This violates standards for the care of animals," according to Khalil.

But changes require funds, a tall order at a zoo where employees earn only between $20 and $57 a month.

"I'm searching for another job, I can't even afford necessities with my salary," said Khaled Oweis who has worked at Giza Zoo for 22 years.

Improvements

Zookeepers earn tips for allowing visitors to interact with the animals, in violation of zoo regulations.

In a small building with caged hyenas, a keeper argued with a man who wanted to film him provoking a hyena with a stick to make the animal snarl.

"You're trying to take a video and put it on the internet and say I torture animals. Just leave us be, to earn a living," the keeper said.

About 150 people work in the zoo, and there are plans to increase their number.

Rajai said the zoo's annual budget ranges from $700,000 and $850,000, raised through ticket sales, like all zoos across the country. "Most of the budget goes into feeding the animals," he said.

But there have been some improvements. The zoo has employed a cleaning firm and Khalil said an open area planted with grass has been set aside for lions.

The zoo now plans to start a breeding program and to sell some of the animals to give the others more space, Rajai said.

Agence France-presse

(China Daily 11/11/2017 page10)