Syria not a threat to world, rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa says    Trump brings Congress to a halt with new demands on spending as shutdown looms    Nothing nefarious, Biden seeks to reassure US over drone mystery    French troops deliver aid to Mayotte ahead of President Macron's Thursday visit    Minister of media inaugurates 1st Impact Makers Forum in Riyadh ImpaQ sees signing of 50 agreements and initiatives worth over SR1 billion    Saudi minister concludes visit to Egypt, bolsters industrial and mining cooperation    Civil Defense: Thunderstorms will continue to hit most Saudi regions until Saturday    Saudi Crown Prince and Iraqi PM meet in AlUla; discuss regional developments    Ministry of Economy and Planning launches Data Saudi platform application    Saudi Arabia defeats Trinidad and Tobago 3-1 in friendly match    FIFA approves 21 male and 3 female Saudi referees for 2025    HRC chief reviews human rights in Saudi Arabia during Saudi-EU joint dialogue    Number of workers in Saudi tourism sector exceeds 950,000 in 2Q 2024    Saudi Arabia succeeds in extracting lithium from oilfield runoffs    Benzema considers retirement at the end of the season: Report    Neymar reflects on move to Al Hilal, injury recovery, and plans for Brazil return    Legendary Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain dies at 73    Eminem sets Riyadh ablaze with unforgettable debut at MDLBEAST Soundstorm    Selena Gomez announces engagement to Benny Blanco    Facts about dry skin and eczema you can't ignore    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Reflections on animal zoo plan
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 17 - 02 - 2015


Hamoud Abu Talib
Okaz


THE spokesman of Jeddah Municipality broke to us the good news that next year residents of this Red Sea coastal city will have an animal zoo that meets international standards on the southern Corniche.
This means that the residents are in for a great surprise. They will finally have a zoo after a seven-year hiatus following the closure of the Beautiful Animals zoo in the Al-Safa District in north Jeddah.
The zoo was closed down after disputes between its owner and the municipality over claims that its location had become a source of pollution and bad odors for residents of that neighborhood.
Mind you, the new international zoo will probably not open next year. It is just that the door will be open next year for investors to submit their offers.
Of course you are well aware of the scenario of government tenders. The zoo is nothing more than an idea on paper and will remain there for a long time.
The animals will remain at large in the wilderness. In principle, we welcome the idea of the entertainment that will be brought to us by the zoo.
Jeddah, with its cosmopolitan characteristics and aesthetic kaleidoscope, lacks the simplest of entertainment means and tourist attractions that are found in foreign cities not as big or as important as our city.
The animal zoos have become significant features for a large number of cities and are replete with visitors throughout the year.
While hoping to have an animal zoo in Jeddah that is not inferior to the ones in the other cities of the world, we do have suspicions about its establishment.
Our past experiences with some investors who were to execute a large number of projects are not good or encouraging.
Many of the investors have not honored their commitments and have tampered with the specifications and standards. We have fears that the new zoo may face the same fate.
Just imagine if we asked the investors to bring the animals from their natural habitats and made it imperative on them that the animals should be in good health.
I have no doubt that the investor will subcontract the project and the end result will be that we will have an old lion, a retiring elephant, a sick giraffe, a limping zebra, a blind tiger and a rhino without a horn.
The animals will not be good but this is no matter for the investor as long as he can save some money by subcontracting the project.
We come now to the animal feeding. The food supplier will make the animals eat the worst and most unhygienic types of foods.
Ultimately, instead of being their new home, the zoo will be their cemetery where they will be buried forever.
We will also have a number of logistical and organizational problems caused by the specialty of our society, which does not permit gender mixing in the zoos or elsewhere.
This may cause psychological depression to the physically impaired animals, which are not used to this kind of society.
The ultimate result will be that the zoo project will become a total failure. However, we will wait to see if the project will ever see the light or not.
I have a question for the municipality — does the project have to be located on the Corniche? Do we not have enough desert space in which we can accommodate the animals to keep our seashores clean?


Clic here to read the story from its source.