THE animals at Michell Park Zoo were the hot topic of conversation and debate last week when residents raised their concerns regarding the welfare of the animals on social media. The uproar prompted ward councillors and a member of the Mitchell Park Trust to conduct an oversite visit of the zoo on Thursday.
It all started on the morning of 14 January when a resident posted allegations of neglect at the Mitchell Park Zoo on social media, claiming the animals were living in shocking conditions, social creatures like cockatoos, mongoose and iguanas were living alone when they should have mates, some appeared to be injured or had eye infections, and demanded something be done urgently to address these and other issues.
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Tanya Fleischer from Durban and Coast SPCA said although the initial complainant did not contact the SPCA directly, the post went viral and other Facebook users tagged them.
The complainant was specific regarding her concerns and included photographs she had taken. The SPCA undertook an inspection of the premises and has compiled extensive recommendations and submitted these to the curator at Mitchell Park.
Ward 27 councillor Ernest Smith also visited the zoo on 14 January, and followed this up with an oversite visit to inspect the zoo along with other councillors and stakeholders, to ensure enclosures were clean, that animals had food and water and that complaints raised were being addressed.
Speaking at the meeting, trustee Sean McCormick said the Trust met once a month with eThekwini management responsible for the zoo, and it had been resolved that a shortlist of any projects that the City can’t fund would be looked at by the Trust to see how these could be undertaken through donor funding.
“The zoo is now in a pretty good state. Going forward there is minor day to day maintenance such as the toilets which need some attention and the odd pile of cuttings which need to be removed. Customers pay to see the zoo, so we need to make it a pleasurable experience so people want to come back. The staff need to look at the place through the eyes of the visitor,” he said.
Councillor Smith said he felt it was important that the Trust did a walk-about once a month and noted down things which needed attention, such as cleanliness, the bathrooms and enclosures which needed fixing, to ensure action.
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Gavin Hegter, ward 64 councillor, said he felt that although the post on social media had been dramatic, it had clearly been needed and had given the municipality a bit of a shake-up. He said it was evident that there had been an effort to clean up the zoo following the initial inspection on 14 January. Ponds had fresh water and enclosures looked neater.
“I haven’t been to the zoo in a long time, but the degradation is obvious. Macaws and cockatoos are extremely intelligent and the complaint about one of these birds plucking its feathers was concerning. There is no excuse why management can’t get advice from Umgeni Bird Park and find ways to stimulate the birds. The zoo needs a lot of cleaning to get it to where it needs to be, but this needs to be ongoing. Animals need to be kept properly if they are going to be kept. I feel there are a lot of questions that still need to be asked and addressed with officials,” he said.
Smith said the zoo was located in a very proactive and proud community.
“We are dealing with the lives of animals who depend on care. We have seen too many things in the municipality that are failing and this zoo can’t be another example of what happens under eThekwini’s watch. This isn’t going to be fixed overnight and is ongoing, we can’t let this place degrade any further. The lives of the animals depend on it,” he said.
Councillor Mmabatho Tembe, Whip of Community Services, said the committee would follow up with the city manager and keep a close eye on the situation to ensure it is addressed.
Businesses band together to raise funds for zoo
AFTER reading the negative social media attention regarding the conditions of Mitchell Park, local businessmen decided they needed to assist in any way possible.
Scott Blount and Mark Garrod-Smith from New Frontiers Tours decided to raise funds to improve facilities and volunteer to rehabilitate Mitchell Park and its animals after the social media post went viral.
“For those who have grown up in Durban, Mitchell Park is a huge part of our city’s heritage and it’s home to many of our fondest childhood memories. We wanted to kickstart the fund while the issue was still in the public eye,” said Scott.
He said they would be following all of the correct channels to ensure that the funds are used appropriately and in order of urgency.
“This needs to be a project of collaboration between private and public sector and we’d like our efforts to complement those of the relevant authorities rather than detract from or overshadow them. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the buy in from several local businesses from various industries, all with a vested interest in Durban and the special place that the park holds in the city’s heritage and our childhood memories,” he said.
In addition to the generosity of a dozen individuals, businesses have donated to the cause, including New Frontiers Tours, Goble Palms Guest House, The Blue Zoo Café and Schoombie Hartmann KZN.
“We’re close on R20 000 at the moment and hope that this continues to gain traction,” he said.
To donate towards the cause, the account details are: Mitchell Park Relief Fund, Investec Bank Limited, Branch: 100 Grayston Drive, Branch Code: 580105, Account No: 50015562732.
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