SANBI notes the reports on the state of the National Zoological Garden (NZG). The NZG has been on a facilities improvement drive for the last two years. As you can imagine a property the size of the NZG must be tackled in stages. SANBI has already completed a significant amount of work since it took over the operations of the NZG in 2018. We completed refurbishment of the parking area in July 2022 and have improved the access to the reptile park and aquarium this year. The work already completed includes refurbishment of toilets (5 toilets were refurbished at the main gate, Dukuduku Restaurant, Hippo area and Gorilla area).
Duku Duku Restaurant ablution facilities before and after.
Several enclosures have also been completed, including our Southern ground hornbill camps, duck, chicken and crane aviaries. Further work is near completion, including our raptor aviaries, parrot enclosures, reptile enclosures and in the aquarium, our marine tank exhibits. Major renovations which will still take a couple of months includes our Stormy Bay, where the seals are kept, white rhino night rooms and our owl exhibits. Where possible, animals are moved from their enclosures to alternative enclosures within the zoo during construction. Unfortunately, some animals have had to be moved to off display areas.
SANBI also provided a discount to visitors for the duration of the projects and has been keeping the public aware of the areas where there is construction through social media and the website.
Visitors to the Zoo can still see lions, we recently received lion cubs which we introduced in December 2022, so have two prides of lion on display, one in the northern part of the zoo, and the other in the southern section. In addition, we have iconic species such as Komodo dragons, tigers, rhino, buffalo, and of course, the elephant. There are literally over 300 flamingos at the entrance to the zoo. We have recently acquired a male buff-cheeked gibbon from France, with whom we hope to mate with our resident female to add to the global gene pool.