Sarajevo Zoo renovations aim to draw tourists

12/01/2009

The Sarajevo Zoo is a splendid tourist attraction -- a place for rest and relaxation or entertainment amid various animal species.

By Jusuf Ramadanovic for Southeast European Times in Sarajevo – 12/01/09

The zoo is expecting city funding to finance a new space for the monkeys. [Jusuf Ramadanovic]

The Sarajevo Zoo, founded in 1951, sprawls over 8.5ha of land. Before the Balkan conflict, it boasted 150 animal species. The siege of Sarajevo from 1992 to 1994 devastated the zoo. Animals starved to death or fell victim to artillery or sniper fire. The last animal, a bear, died in 1992.

In 1999, the first new animals arrived at the zoo as management began renovations and expansion in an effort to attract visitors. Currently, the zoo houses about 38 animal species, including apes, pythons, llamas, ostriches, snakes -- most notably a boa constrictor -- deer and elk, buffalo, various waterfowl and other bird species and a prized black bear.

The zoo acquired a new terrarium, which is home to a caiman and several tortoises. It is currently preparing 1,000 square metres to accommodate pumas, lions and meerkats, whose normal habitats are African savannas and shrubs. It also hopes the city will finance a new space for its monkeys.

"There is an effort to provide special Africa-like living conditions for these species," said zoo veterinarian Vedad Skapur.

"The Sarajevo Zoo is continuously working on upgrading the living conditions for all animals in order to meet the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) standards," Skapur said. "This will promote co-operation in furthering regional wildlife conservation and education, particularly in the area of environment."

Recently, the zoo re-established co-operation with the much larger Belgrade Zoo. It is now expecting to receive a donation of animals from Belgrade. Before the 1990s, many of the Sarajevo animals came from the Serbian zoo. As part of this regional co-operation, the Sarajevo Zoo donated four species to the zoo in Banja Luka --a llama, a Scottish ox, a spotted deer and pygmy goats.

The zoo is the largest and best established of its kind in BiH. It draws 350,000 visitors annually. "It is really nice here. The children can visit and learn about the animals. The most interesting, for me, were the turtles and snakes in the terrarium. My son liked the monkeys and the black bear," says Emina, the mother of a two-year old.

Besides the animal section, the zoo offers areas for recreation -- flowerbeds, grounds for strolling, bird ponds and a playground that includes electric trains and cars, slides, swings and merry-go-rounds.

Children make up a majority of the zoo's visitors -- a boost to hopes it could regain its status as a favorite weekend destination for children and adults alike.