Heartbreak tale of ruined Bloemfontein Zoo

It breaks your heart to see what has happened to the Bloemfontein Zoo – once the ideal spot to take your family for an outing, but now just another example of how years of neglect and financial mismanagement can ruin a once-thriving establishment.

What’s even more concerning is that the animals have either vanished or suffer every day. Of the 256 animals that were at the zoo, only 11 buffaloes, some peacocks, rabbits and guinea fowl are all that remain.

Many of the animals, particularly the carnivores, owls, parrots and reptiles were moved to other homes, while 20 exotic and some endangered birds, including Cape parrots and Blue-and-Gold macaws, were stolen in the middle of the night before their planned relocation.

According to the Freedom Front, approximately R125 million was set aside in 2013 to relocate the entire zoo to a new facility in Kwaggafontein, just outside the city.

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The idea was to change the animals’ homes so they could roam free in large encampments and introduce caged trucks so that the public could view the animals up close and personal.

All that exists now is a double fence in Kwaggafontein – which cost R18 million – but even this is riddled with holes and openings at the bottom, and there’s no real plans to relocate the zoo. What’s more, is that Bloemfontein Zoo is a shadow of its past. It’s abandoned, there are very few animals remaining, and those that do still live there, have to make do with below-par conditions after the zoo was officially closed more than a year ago.

Adding insult to injury, our journalists discovered 40 staff members still receive monthly paycheques, despite doing very little – if any – work. And the animals are the ones that are suffering.