Côte d’Ivoire: Abidjan national zoo re-opens after a year of closure

This Tuesday (December 21)  marks the re-opening of Abidjan's zoo in Côte d'Ivoire.

The zoo closed in September 2020 after a hyena escaped following accusations of animal mistreatment.

The facilities have been completely refurbished.

The renovation was financed by the state costing around 800,000 euros.

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 completely destroyed and completely refurbished", announced Karl Diakité, director of Abidjan Zoo.

The zoo is located in a 19-hectare park in the middle of the Ivorian economic capital and hopes to attract visitors from all backgrounds.

Karl Diakité added "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. And then we have a security protocol in place in case we have an escape. We are prepared, we have the necessary equipment to be able to catch the animals if there are any problems", concluded the director.

The zoo is home to fifty species including lions, leopards, chimpanzees, and an elephant, with a population of 350 individuals.