# Giza Zoo



## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Now this is good news as anyone who has ever visited the zoo will know how overcrowded it is,


Vets at Cairo's Giza Zoo are experimenting with birth control on their rapidly expanding population of lions.

They are taking the unusual step of giving the big cats human birth control pills after a population explosion that means there are now 53 lions at the zoo.

It is a controversial move in a zoo which has already been criticised by animal rights activists.


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## DeadGuy (Jan 22, 2010)

That should be used more often in here ....... On humans though.........


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Well there are lots of places/people we could say that about..


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## mamasue (Oct 7, 2008)

I was there in 2005, and I was horrified by the place... actually left in tears!!
I'm glad they're trying to improve the place.... it really needs it!


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## Sam (Aug 27, 2009)

Why experiment with human birth control? Why can't they just give a few the snip? Or separate them whilst the females are in season (presuming they have seasons).


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Sam said:


> Why experiment with human birth control? Why can't they just give a few the snip? Or separate them whilst the females are in season (presuming they have seasons).


Seperate enclosures for the males and females would seem like a good idea to me. As zoos around the world tend to swap animals to strengthen the gene pools, giving any of them the snip could be detrimental to future captive breeding programmes which aim to return lions to the wild or safari parks etc.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Sam said:


> Why experiment with human birth control? Why can't they just give a few the snip? Or separate them whilst the females are in season (presuming they have seasons).




I am guessing you haven't had the horror off Giza zoo Sam.
I would suspect there is no room to keep them separate, the last time I was there which must be 6 years all the animals were in cages and pacing up and down with boredom. The poor monkey was living in cage with one piece of rope.
The money spent on the zoo is peanuts and the entrance price is peanuts too,
You can feed the animals at this zoo, you buy a morsel of a keeper who puts it on a stick and lets you poke it through the bars of the cage. 
There was an article in the newspaper a couple of months ago about big cats going missing from the zoo.. believed sold to private collectors, how can you loose a big cat??? Sadly corruption affects every aspect of life here.
The zoo is used as a park by poor families, they play ball, have picnics, etc and they can't be blamed for this as it is a cheap day out and their children can run free away from the traffic in Cairo.
The zoo is nothing for anyone to be proud off and should be closed down


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

MaidenScotland said:


> I am guessing you haven't had the horror off Giza zoo Sam.
> I would suspect there is no room to keep them separate, the last time I was there which must be 6 years all the animals were in cages and pacing up and down with boredom. The poor monkey was living in cage with one piece of rope.
> The money spent on the zoo is peanuts and the entrance price is peanuts too,
> You can feed the animals at this zoo, you buy a morsel of a keeper who puts it on a stick and lets you poke it through the bars of the cage.
> ...


I agree that any zoos which don't give their animals large areas as close as possible to their natural habitat should be closed down. While GOOD zoos have an important part to play in protecting endangered species by participating in global breeding programmes, zoos which are not run properly should not be tolerated by the international community.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Cairo's Giza Zoo, once one of the world's foremost zoological gardens, has long since fallen into disrepair. It remains popular with Egyptian families, but the BBC's Yolande Knell reports on challenges to its survival - from property developers, mismanagement and animal welfare advocates.
In the lion house at Giza Zoo, a crowd of children shriek excitedly as the big cats snarl behind iron bars and dig their teeth into slabs of raw meat.
"I like all the animals but the lions are best," giggles four-year-old Zeinab Abdul Hamid.
"We bring our little kids here to show them all the different creatures," says her father, Ashraf.
"Usually we come at least twice a year during the holidays. I used to come when I was a child."

The whole approach is rooted in the 1950s. It needs a change of direction 
Will Travers, Born Free Foundation
At just one Egyptian pound (less than $0.20, £0.10) for an entrance ticket, the zoo is seen as a fun and affordable day out, particularly by low-income families.
Recent rumours that it could be moved from central Cairo, where it has been since 1891, to a new site on the outskirts of the city have caused a public outcry.
"It's better if it stays where it is," Mr Abdul Hamid insists.
"It would not be good to move because this is a beautiful, old place," adds Atef Ramzi, who is visiting with two daughters. "Everyone knows it and it's easy to access."
Despite denials by the Ministry of Agriculture, which oversees the zoo, reports persist that a development company wants to buy the valuable real estate.
The zoo is located in 40 hectares (100 acres) of gardens near the west bank of the Nile in a high-class neighbourhood opposite the luxury Four Seasons hotel.
Dubious practices

Zoo keepers get tips by feeding animals kept in cell-like cages
Culture Minister Farouk Hosny has weighed into the controversy declaring that some 19th Century features should be protected as antiquities.
"The zoo just needs more care and maintenance," he says. "If it were to be given due attention it could truly become one of the most famous in the world."
Animal rights campaigners have long called for improvements at Giza Zoo.
They complain about the cell-like cages used for lions and bears, and the methods by which keepers seek tips to supplement their small salaries.
Visitors are allowed to feed the animals, including the hippopotamus who gobbles down handfuls of clover.
Children can have their photographs taken with a lion cub or baby chimpanzee - or even with their heads inside the mouth of an elephant kept on a short chain.
"The whole approach is rooted in the 1950s," says Will Travers of the London-based Born Free Foundation, which monitors zoo conditions. "It needs a change of direction."

I wish they could restore it as it once was... and I wish all the animals were happy as well as the children 
Zoo visiter
"We have recommended more training of staff, better conditions and rationalising the collection so there are fewer animals."
A series of scandals has focused attention on bad practices at the zoo.
In 2007, two camels were butchered by a worker who sold the meat.
Police said more than 400 animals - including a giraffe and black panther - had disappeared between 2005 and 2008. It is thought many were sold as pets.
World class dream
Zoo managers insist they are making changes as they seek readmission to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). They oppose moving the zoo.

An affordable and fun day out for Cairo's animal lovers
"We have many projects for the animals. We make advances every day of every month according to our master plan," says chairman Nabil Sedky.
He points to the air-conditioning units recently installed in the bear enclosure. "Now they enjoy the summer days," he says.
Will Travers agrees the zoo could be modernised on its current site.
"There's a lot you can do with 100 acres," he comments, "but you need political will."
"The government must say, 'Let's create a world-class facility', and give proper investment because at the moment this is something they should be ashamed of."
For many Egyptians, the zoo is a reminder of the faded glory of Cairo. It was established at a time when the city was seen as the Paris of the Middle East.
The zoo's bridges, including one designed by Gustave Eiffel, streams and mosaic-lined pathways are still in place, although not well-maintained.
"I wish they could restore it as it once was," says one father who says he comes regularly with his three-year-old son.
"And I wish all the animals were happy as well as the children."


Source... bbc


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## Sam (Aug 27, 2009)

MaidenScotland said:


> I am guessing you haven't had the horror off Giza zoo Sam.
> I would suspect there is no room to keep them separate, the last time I was there which must be 6 years all the animals were in cages and pacing up and down with boredom. The poor monkey was living in cage with one piece of rope.
> The money spent on the zoo is peanuts and the entrance price is peanuts too,
> You can feed the animals at this zoo, you buy a morsel of a keeper who puts it on a stick and lets you poke it through the bars of the cage.
> ...


No, Giza Zoo is a place I've not been to. 
That does sound awful. I've not heard about the missing big cats either... they can't just go missing surely. Corruption again, as you say.
Like you have said, sounds like they should forget about the birth control and just make the place a park and let the animals go to a sanctuary they will be looked after well. I hear there's a place not far from Alex like a safari park where lions roam in big open spaces. Maybe they can be transferred?


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## josmiler05 (Jan 10, 2010)

I have never been to Giza zoo and don't think I ever will as I'm sure I would find it quite distressing being an animal lover. 
Maybe I'm naive but why isn't there some sort of governing body that can insist on animals being transfered to more suitable places and shut the zoo down untill it passes some sort of standard.


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## Tinytraveler (Feb 17, 2010)

If they moved the zoo out of Cairo and aquire more land then maybe they could raise donations to build better enclosures and really make it a state of the art zoo. Then the old location could be turned into a park with playground equipment like swings, slides, and climbing things. They could also make one or two nice enclosures to be to use to rotate animals from the big zoo. Birds or other smaller creatures would be easy to move and change them out on a monthly basis. even if they just let go of idea of having animals there all together, I would still charge the entrance fee to pay for the park clean up and matainence. Make sure there is no trash around and the restrooms are useable.


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## DeadGuy (Jan 22, 2010)

josmiler05 said:


> I have never been to Giza zoo and don't think I ever will as I'm sure I would find it quite distressing being an animal lover.
> Maybe I'm naive but why isn't there some sort of governing body that can insist on animals being transfered to more suitable places and shut the zoo down untill it passes some sort of standard.


Well you're not naive, but you just need to understand how things work in here a bit more; there are already "governing bodies" for that, but it just never works!

Besides, I think it wouldn't be fair to worry about the animals in any zoo before worrying about the humans in their homes or in the streets


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

DeadGuy said:


> Well you're not naive, but you just need to understand how things work in here a bit more; there are already "governing bodies" for that, but it just never works!
> 
> Besides, I think it wouldn't be fair to worry about the animals in any zoo before worrying about the humans in their homes or in the streets




Many years ago I met some British vets who were here in Cairo making a t.v programme showing people how to look after their donkeys and horses and how to make their bridles etc more comfortable. The vets also said the animals must only work a 6 day week plus they must have a mid day break each working day. a much healthier diet was also advised.

I am an animal lover and in fact have kept horses all my life so it does distress me when I see how cruel life and people can be to all animals here in Egypt however I also fully understand why the vets were ridiculed for their suggestions.
The people who own these animals work 7 days a week as do their children.
Most people who work on these donkey carts etc all have the tell tale sign of malnutrition in their hair.. if they can't feed their children properly then feeding an animal properly is just impossible.

When people have hard cruel lives and are at the bottom of the heap in society then yes chances are they will be cruel to their livestock.

Personally I would close the zoo down.. not move them elsewhere in Egypt but let another country take the animals. The money spent on the zoo would be better educating and helping the needy of which they are so many here.


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## Sam (Aug 27, 2009)

MaidenScotland said:


> Many years ago I met some British vets who were here in Cairo making a t.v programme showing people how to look after their donkeys and horses and how to make their bridles etc more comfortable. The vets also said the animals must only work a 6 day week plus they must have a mid day break each working day. a much healthier diet was also advised.
> 
> I am an animal lover and in fact have kept horses all my life so it does distress me when I see how cruel life and people can be to all animals here in Egypt however I also fully understand why the vets were ridiculed for their suggestions.
> The people who own these animals work 7 days a week as do their children.
> ...



Well said :clap2:


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## ilovebahamas (Aug 27, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> Now this is good news as anyone who has ever visited the zoo will know how overcrowded it is,
> 
> 
> Vets at Cairo's Giza Zoo are experimenting with birth control on their rapidly expanding population of lions.
> ...


haha did the lions learn how to use it? That's weird ^^)


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