The zoo will remain open to the public at reduced prices during the renovation work. Photos by Keletso Mkhwanazi.
PRETORIA Zoo is one of the eight largest zoos in the world and one of the most highly rated.
However, the zoo is trending on X (formerly Twitter) because of its dilapidated state.The animal facility has been the subject of numerous complaints from visitors complaining about the poor state of the zoo and pointing out that there are no animals to see.
X user Lerato Hofelle warned the public in a post that went viral, writing: "Please do not waste time taking your family to Pretoria Zoo (Pretoria). There are relatively few animals, everything is under construction, and everything is in disarray. What a disgrace, including the river, is filthy and littered, basic grounds maintenance has nothing to do with renovations. I will spare you the details about the disgusting toilets."
The tweet: "This zoo should not be open to the public" sparked outrage from other users who shared their negative experiences on recent trips.
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Simon Dablap wrote: “I hope that the property's deterioration wasn't intentional for the sole purpose of securing future renovation tenders, cause ya this country is run by buffaloes.”
Cheryl Humphries said: "I was there before Christmas. I was so disappointed. Pretoria Zoo used to be the best place to visit because it was so well kept! So, so sad.”
The zoo will remain open to the public at reduced prices during the renovation work. Photos by Keletso Mkhwanazi.
Daily Sun visited the zoo on Thursday, 11 January for a press briefing. When the SunTeam arrived, construction was underway, and several animals had been moved to another location.
During their tour, the team was lucky enough to see an elephant named Charlie. There were also three white rhinos, an alligator, penguins, reptiles, four gorillas, three lions, a lorpard and three hyenas.
Other facilities have already been brought up to date, including the entrance to the reptile park and the complete roofing of the aquarium.
However, the cable cars are still not in operation as a safety issue was identified during a safety inspection carried out a few years ago.
Shonisani Mundzhenzi, CEO of the South African Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), said that since the institute took over the management of the National Zoological Gardens in 2018, there has been a considerable amount of work to be done and a budget of R105 million has been allocated for the refurbishment of the infrastructure.
"We have secured additional funding from the Department of Tourism, which has allocated R8 million to the project. We are still looking for additional funding and partners to improve and expand the facility," Munzheni said.
Further major renovation work will take several months and will be completed by the end of May. However, the zoo will remain open to the public during the work, with visitors receiving a discount.
