More than two years after the once-famous Bloemfontein Zoo was shut down, 11 buffaloes that are still enclosed at the facility have been forgotten and are facing an uncertain future.
The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, which owns the condemned park, did not make any provisions for the upkeep of the animals in its 2022/23 budget.
The Free State capital’s acting municipal manager, Tebogo Motlashuping, says the municipality – which is under national administration due to financial mismanagement, service delivery failures, governance violations and infighting – has no clear plan on the future of the abandoned animal facility.
“There is no clear and final decision about the future and the plan with the zoo,” he said in his report on the state of affairs in the metro that he tabled during a recent ordinary council meeting.
“No maintenance and upgrades were done since a decision was taken to relocate the zoo in 2013,” Motlashuping added.
“There is no capital funding projected in the operational budget for the 2022/23 financial year and insufficient funding projected in the operational budget for 2022/23 financial year (eg food for animals not enough for one month just for 11 buffaloes) and challenges with payment of service providers providing food.”
The buffaloes are the only animals that were left when other species – including predators, primates, reptiles, mammals, birds and rodents – were relocated to wildlife sanctuaries elsewhere across the country in March 2020 after the Bloemfontein Zoo was permanently shut down due to permit breaches and its shocking state of neglect.
The zoo, founded in 1906 in the heart of the Free State capital, was once a popular attraction for family outings, school tours and weekend picnics before mismanagement turned it into an eyesore where algae-infected water, carcasses and faeces strewn in cages became common sights at the facility.
“The zoo is currently closed to the public and only 11 buffalo remain after all the other animals were removed in March 2020,” Motlashuping said.
“Some zookeepers and cashiers have been transferred to other directorates, especially solid waste, for efficient utilisation.”
Plans to relocate the zoo to the municipality’s Kwaggafontein Game Farm on the outskirts of the city have failed to materialise since 2013.
“The farm is already established with a game fence and free-ranging wildlife in the long run there will be saving on the budget as animal feeds will be necessary in small amounts as animals are free ranging, no garden service required, and future development can be done through public participation,” Motlashuping said.
“Less intensive animal management and care will be required as is the case with a zoo and therefore less chance for complaints from animal rights groups.”
However, the acting municipal manager warned that apart from the relocation proposal there were other challenges at Kwaggafontein which needed to be urgently resolved.
“There are too many animals on the farm, which will lead to serious overgrazing and loss of animals due to hunger if action is not taken immediately,” he said.
“A request to sell off the surplus animals was submitted in May 2022.
“Proposals for development of the Kwaggafontein Game Farm have also been submitted.” – Staff Reporter