EGYPT / 1991 / COLOR VARIETY / CENTENARY
OF GIZA ZOO / ANIMALS / BIRDS / RHINOCEROS / CROCODILE / TURTLE /
GAZELLE / MNH / VF
SG : 1805
SCOTT :
1439
Giza Zoo
Japanese building at the
zoo
Bridge by Gustave Eiffel at the
zoo
The Giza Zoo
is a zoological garden
in Giza, Egypt. It is one
of the few green areas in the city, and includes Giza´s largest
park. The zoo covers about 80 acres (32 ha),
and is home to many
endangered
species, as well as a selection
of endemic fauna.
Rare species
have been successfully bred in the zoo - including the
first Californian sea lion
to be born in the Middle East
in
2002.
History
The zoo was
built by Khedive Ismail and opened on 1 March 1891. It was built on
about 50 feddan (21 hectares
(52 acres)) that was once part of the harem gardens. Ismail
imported many plants from India, Africa, and South America, of
which a banyan tree planted about 1871 can still be seen. The
original 180 birds and 78 other animals in the zoos collection were
taken from Ismail´s private
menagerie
In the late
1870s the state took over the zoo as partial payment of the
Ismail´s debts. In January 1890, the harem building was opened as a
natural history museum, and was used in this manner until a new
museum was opened in Tahrir square in 1902. The portion of the
gardens facing the Nile were sold to the public for large homes,
but the harem gardens were kept
intact.
When the zoo
was built, the exhibits with semi-natural habitats were considered
spacious by European standards. The animal collection emphasized
Egyptian species, and at one time claimed 20,000 individuals
representing 400 species, though many of these may have been
migratory birds. By the mid twentieth century, the zoo was
considered one of the best zoos in the world, but it has had
trouble adapting to the pressures of growth in the latter half of
the century as human populations in Cairo have
increased.
By the end
of World War II
the zoo claimed 4,700 exhibits, with a
total of 700 mammals and 500 reptiles. Attendance levels of 43,567
in 1889 rose to 223,525 by 1906. In 2007, the
zoo hosted almost 3.4 million
visitors.
In 2004, the
zoo lost its membership with the World
Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). The
zoo did not pay membership fees, and then ignored the
recommendations of WAZA inspectors. As of 2010, it is a member of
the
African Association of Zoos
and Aquaria (PAAZAB),
and is working towards getting re-accredited by
WAZA.
FROM
WIKIPEDIA
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