JEDDAH, 16 December 2006 — The management of the Beautiful Creatures Zoo in Jeddah’s Al-Rihab district said that it hasn’t received any official notification from the authorities regarding the non-renewal of the zoo’s property lease.
The local press published reports this week that municipal authorities received instructions from the Makkah Governorate not to renew the lease after receiving complaints from local residents.
The zoo’s manager, Abou Nawaf, said that they haven’t received any official notification about the issue from the municipality.
“We cannot speculate what would happen (if they ask us to leave),” he said, adding that once the picture is clear actions would be taken.
Wasmi Al-Wasmi, the zoo’s owner, said he built the 20,000-square-meter zoo 20 years ago when the area was undeveloped. Today it sits in a heavily residential zone.
“The zoo cost over SR50 million to become what it is today,” he said, adding that such investment is not popular because of the narrow profit margin.
According to a Jeddah Municipality spokesman, the lease contract would end within seven months, which is enough time for the zoo’s investors to search for a new location. He said that many residents have complained about the smells and noises from the zoo.
Saad Al-Subhi, a Saudi resident in the neighborhood, said that he didn’t expect the noises of the animals or the smells to be so bad when he decided to move close by. “In fact, I was wondering why the real estate is cheaper on this block compared to a few blocks away from the zoo,” he said. “We really wish it would close down.”
