Hicham Maged's blog Inquisitive curiosity paves knowledge path

The Giza Zoo: Boo!

It seems that rumors about transferring Egypt’s Giza Zoo to another place outside Cairo in June 2009 have been partially deactivated by the efforts of Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of “The Supreme Council of Antiquities” who declared parts of it as “antiquities” specially the “architectural landmarks” such as Japanese Kiosk and Citadel Hill respectively.

As an Egyptian Architect, I am supposed to feel happy for such decision however I strangely did not enjoy it that much unless such decision is the first step on the thousands miles way Egypt shall go before we sleep!

Egyptian Giza Zoo: Main Entrance

An Overview for the Giza Zoo

At first, let me briefly present the zoo since I discovered that many Egyptians know nothing about its history and importance but the name and the location.

Located at the heart of Cairo near the west bank of the Nile River with its northern tip overlooking Cairo University, this 80 Feddan (100 acres) plot embraced a unique collection of animals, birds, and plants species since officially opened for public on March 1^st 1891.

Prior the opening date, Khedive Ismail Pasha (1863-1879), grandson of Muhammed Ali Pasha (1805-1848), was the first Egyptian ruler to think about opening a zoo on the occasion of the inauguration of the Suez Canal in 1869 however he could not afforded it due to the lake of time and maybe funding but I am not sure of the last. Anyway since opening, the Giza Zoo has played an important role as an institute to study the behavior of the species collected their, which labeled it as one of the richest places for the wild African animal life, especially that the climate of Egypt helped in preserving the exhibition of this collection.

These qualifications nominated the Giza Zoo to be ranked in the past as the only – and later the largest – zoological garden in North Africa and Middle East, and The Giza Zoo to be one of the founding members of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) in the past 20^th century. Nevertheless, unfortunately due to many reasons on our own – that I want to know – the zoo has been eliminated from WAZA’s international body as the aftermath their investigations back in 2003/2004 and shortly after, its membership was terminated after dues went unpaid.

Reservation not Evacuation

I think it is clear now why I am not happy as supposed to be; it is not only about the architectural value of the place despite its importance which no one can deny of course; however Egypt should work in parallel on the physical restoration of this unique zoological garden to bring back its label as reputable institute for studding behaviors for the unique collections of the species there.

A basic fact tell us that what was valid in 1891 is not working in 2009 definitely, so I see that such work needs a serious plan that takes into consideration:

• Zoo Management: A sustainable management systems for a zoological garden to be implemented by specialists;
• Places and Species: Establishing an up-to-date framework on how to deal with both the architectural places and living creatures;
• The Weather: The current changes in Cairo’s weather – especially pollution – need another approach, out of the box.

Campaign + Initiative

If there was a sum of money planned to spend on transferring the zoo to another location it would have been more useful to implement in the suggested restoration. On the other hand, I do believe that many scientists and activists either locally or globally, might be interested in such plan, so what about launching a campaign that may lead to an initiative to restore Giza Zoo back?

I am thinking about a model that may lead to establish partnership between NGO/NPO and the government, something like what happened in Al-Azhar Park in Cairo as a part of the “Aga-Khan Trust for Culture Programme” and of course with a different scope of work.

A sustainable development for our zoo might make it an extraordinary opportunity for regular tourism and scientific studies that can nourish in case we worked on this passionately. Just imagine the place as workshop for kids who want to know more about the already places species! Endless ideas can be generated and fund the project too.

Consequently, I do believe we are not talking about a luxurious plan but indeed an essential one to restore and improve the life of the different living species their plus working on decreasing pollution in the core of our capital, Cairo.

Hey! We are not starting from the beginning.

Note: I found a website that claims being offical – “Welcome to Official Egypt Zoo Website” – but it seems no update available since 2006 so it will be a nice idea to develop it too! Nevertheless I also wonders why the domain is not “.gov.eg” since it claims being official?!

Related Quotes and Sayings

If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. — Milton Berle

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Tags: egypt, zoo management
Categories: Critiques
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