By Bisola Adeyemo
Government of Côte d’Ivoire has announced the reopening of Abidjan’s zoo, saying there would be no security problems.
The national zoo re-opens today Tuesday (December 21) after a year of closure.
The zoo was closed in September 2020 after a hyena escaped following accusations of animal maltreatment.
The Authority also assured that the zoo facilities have been completely renovated for proper safety, African news reports.
According to the director of the zoo, Karl Diakité, “Most of the enclosures that were here before, were enclosures that had existed since the 1960s and 1970s. So a lot of these enclosures had to be destroyed.
“So for those of you who have seen the zoo before, there are many enclosures that have been destroyed and completely refurbished.
“Compared to a few years ago, today, the zoo has completely changed, the zoo has been completely transformed.
“We’ve reinforced all the enclosures, we’ve rearranged the species in the different enclosures to make sure that there would be no security problems in that respect.
“We have a security protocol in place in case we have an escape. We are prepared and we have the necessary equipment to be able to catch the animals if there are any problems”, the director concluded.