The much-loved animal kingdom of Kuwait, the Kuwait Zoo, has been closed for at least four years, leaving the citizens and residents confused. The Kuwait Zoo is an umbrella for a diverse population of wildlife, including rare species like the white tiger and white peacock. When the zoo temporarily closed during the pandemic, people believed it would reopen when restrictions were lifted. Why the zoo remains shuttered today remains a mystery.

Prior to the closedown, citizens and residents visited the zoo regularly. It also served as a learning experience for students when they visited the zoo on a school trip. “We used to take the lower grade students to the zoo for picnics; it was a great experience for them to see the animals they had only ever seen in textbooks in real life; however, after the pandemic, the zoo has been shut down, and we haven’t been able to take the students to the zoo,” said a teacher.

On enquiring with the public regarding their viewpoint on the closure of the zoo, it was noted that a majority of families and individuals do miss the zoo; however, a number of people were unaware of the zoo being shut, and some of them were not much concerned about it. Many recalled their childhood visits to the zoo with their parents.

 

“I recall my father taking me to the zoo and showing me the different animals,” said a citizen. Shutting the zoo, he added, is not fair to the children—they get to learn a lot from a zoo. “I miss taking my family to the zoo; it was relaxing taking the children and showing them around; it was neatly maintained and had a wide range of animals,” said another citizen. He went on to say that he really wished that the zoo would be open soon.

The zoo was an integral part of some expats’ weekends. An Indian expat, who has been in Kuwait for about 25 years, recalls taking his kids to the zoo on Fridays for a stroll. “Back in the day, I used to live with my family in Khaitan, which is close to the zoo, and we could actually hear the lion’s roar distantly,” said an Indian expat.

A few of the individuals the Kuwait Times spoke with raised concerns about the animals in the zoo and whether they were taken care of and dealt with properly while the zoo was closed. Many people expressed their dissatisfaction with the zoo’s facilities and services prior to its closing, citing issues such as poor hygiene and a lack of sufficient supervision over visitors feeding and mistreating the animals. They wanted the zoo to be reopened with top-notch amenities for both the animals and the visitors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kuwait Time’s