Kabul Zoo

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Kabul Zoo - exterior view

The Kabul Zoo ( Persian باغ وحش کابل Bāgh-e Vahsch-e Kābol ) opened in 1967 in Kabul ( Afghanistan ) and focused on domestic wildlife .

In 1972 the number of visitors was 150,000. The zoo had a total of 116 animals that were cared for by 60 employees. Foreigners paid ten times the entrance fee, which is usually 10 afghanis . The zoo was significantly damaged by the civil war in the 1990s and most of the animals were killed. Only in the last few years has the zoo been partially restored. There are currently around 34 animal species and a statue of a lion in the zoo.

history

The zoo was laid out on a large scale on the banks of the Kabul River in 1967 . For this purpose, the then Prince Nadir convened a committee for zoological projects , which, in cooperation with the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Kabul and the German zoologist and later President of the World Zoo Organization, Gunther Nogge, led the construction work.

In 1972 the zoo had 32 species of mammals , 85 species of birds, and four species of reptiles . In total, the zoo housed 417 animals, some of which were listed on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species . The gifts from foreign zoos included a pair of tigers ( Cologne Zoo ), a young female elephant (from Indian President Giri ), a pair of lions and bears (among other animals) ( China ) and the general zoo favorite Marjan , a male lion (Cologne Zoo).

The zoo suffered significantly from the long fighting in the country. The food of the animals went to the rulers, mujahideen shot the only elephant and most of the wild animals in order to eat them.

Current situation

In 2010 the only pig in Afghanistan, a gift from China, is in the Kabul Zoo. The zoo currently has 36 species of fish and 42 species of birds and mammals and attracts up to ten thousand visitors per weekend. It is one of the few places in Kabul where men and women are allowed to hang out together. For the children there is a small ferris wheel and a ship swing at the playground. A popular motif for souvenir photos is the bronze-colored statue of a lion donated by China.

The restoration and expansion of the zoo has been supported by several international organizations, including the World Society for the Protection of Animals , the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and the North Carolina Zoo , with food for the animals, medication, and veterinary care since 2001 .

Animals

In 1972, the animals that could be seen in the Kabul Zoo included rare species such as the Caspian tiger , the snow leopard , the manul , the Bengal cat and the Bukhara deer . In addition, there were marmots , the crop gazelle , the lynx , the striped hyena , the brown bear and the Asian black bear, as well as bird species such as pheasants , parrots , king fowl , the rust goose and flamingos .

In 2010, two lions (a current gift from China), some bears , monkeys , wild boars , jackals and various species of birds live in the zoo .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Survival Guide to Kabul - What to see , status 2003 with photos of destroyed enclosures (English)
  2. ^ A b article There is a pig living in Afghanistan (by Tobis Matern), Süddeutsche Zeitung, March 4, 2010, p. 10; Golnar Motevalli: Afghanistan's only pig quarantined in flu fear , on reuters .com
  3. ↑ Info ( Memento of the original from April 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. of the North Carolina Zoo @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nczoo.org
  4. ↑ Tony Perry: Kabul Zoo provides a haven for humans , December 27, 2009, Los Angeles Times , accessed June 19, 2015

Coordinates: 34 ° 30 ′ 34 ″  N , 69 ° 9 ′ 19 ″  E