THE Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality is looking to fast-track the re-opening of the Bloemfontein Zoo, four years after it was permanently shut down due to permit breaches and its shocking state of neglect.
Founded in 1906 in the heart of the Free State capital, the city-centre park
was once a popular tourist attraction before mismanagement turned it into an eyesore where algae-infected water, carcasses and faeces strewn in cages became common sights.
Following its closure, various species of animals – including predators, primates, reptiles, mammals, birds and rodents – were relocated to wildlife sanctuaries elsewhere across the country.
Only 11 buffaloes were left abandoned at the park, with the municipality that owns the facility shockingly revealing last year that its 2022/23 budget did not have any provisions for their upkeep.
Plans to relocate the zoo to Kwaggafontein Game Farm on the outskirts of the city have failed to materialise since 2013.
However, Mangaung executive mayor Gregory Nthatisi this week said the wildlife facility was a priority area for his administration.
He has called on various stakeholders to come together and look at how they can fast-track the re-opening of the facility.
“I would like for us to put our heads together and look at how we can best resolve this matter,” Nthatisi said.
“We need to look into what happened to the animals that were at the zoo and whether we can get them back to the care of the municipality.”
The mayor was speaking alongside Thabo Meeko, the MEC for Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
The stakeholder meeting was convened to discuss all issues relating to economic development and environmental affairs in the capital.
“We must work as a collective to resolve these issues and we can only achieve that by ensuring that the work operations between this department and the city are strengthened,” Meeko said. – Staff Reporter