JEDDAH: On a Thursday evening the Beautiful Creatures Zoo situated on Tahliah Street off the Makkah-Madinah Expressway was crowded with families of various nationalities. On a Sunday morning two school buses were seen dropping off pupils at the zoo.
The zoo covers an area of 20,000 square meters, of which, the municipality owns 3,500 square meters. The zoo has been the focal point of an ongoing dispute involving local residents who complain about smells, noise and traffic, and the municipality that would like to see a developer turn the municipality-owned portion of the zoo into a commercial center.
Last year municipal officials swooped in and demolished the municipality-owned portion of the zoo, much to the consternation of the zoo’s owners. There were even reports from zoo employees that some animals died because of the demolition. Officials later apologized to the municipal council for demolishing the zoo before it had issued a ruling on the decision.
Over a year after the surprise demolition, the land sits fallow (except for one closed mosque) and the rest of the zoo remains open for business. The zoo’s owner, Wasmi Al-Wasmi, said plans for the commercial center have been scrapped. Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has ordered that no further demolishing takes place unless the municipality provides a complete report about the zoo and why it should be shut down at its present location.
The municipality has previously said that the zoo must be removed following complaints from residents. The suggested area was the municipality-owned Um Al-Salam Zoo located in a crowded south Jeddah area. Al-Wasmi said the area is not suitable nor does he believe it is the right place for investment.
When asked about his plans to improve the condition in which the animals are kept or increasing their numbers, Al-Wasmi said he does not know where the zoo is heading and thus cannot buy more animals or invest in the unused areas.
When asked if the municipality had set any regulations before he constructed the zoo, Al-Wasmi said that he was not asked to apply any regulations regarding the animals, adding that they put into consideration three rules including cleanness, health and overcrowding.
Arab News has copies of reports dating back to two years stating that the condition of the zoo is good. The bodies that wrote these reports include the Ministry of Agriculture, the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment and King Abdul Aziz University.
Al-Wasmi has received an approval from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to initiate a Safari park in northeastern Jeddah. Al-Wasmi said that this project is still in its infancy.
