Limassol, Cyprus. The Limassol zoo will continue to operate after the Municipal Council voted against a proposal to relocate the animals and convert the site into an environmental park on Thursday. The proposal was rejected with 10 votes in favour and 14 votes against.
Council decision
Speaking to state broadcaster Rik, Limassol mayor Yiannis Armeftis said there had been a “productive discussion” on whether a zoo could still meet the needs of modern society. He said the matter had not been definitively resolved.
Future proposals
Armeftis said the future of the zoo would be addressed at a later stage based on new proposals to be formulated by relevant municipal groups.
Debate over the site
The future of the Limassol zoo was discussed by the local municipal council on Thursday, which voted on whether the facility should continue housing animals or be transformed into a new biodiversity and environmental centre.
At the centre of the debate was a proposal prepared by the Cyprus Centre for Environmental Research and Education (CyCere). The proposal envisaged replacing the zoo with an open-access biodiversity and urban environment centre, known as “Fysi”, focused on environmental education, research, and public participation.
Reaction from the animal party
Ahead of the vote, the animal party called for a permanent end to animal captivity and said preserving historical memory should not mean maintaining outdated practices.
“It cannot remember only the visitors’ smiles and forget the lions, bears, leopards, monkeys, and dozens of other wild animals that spent their lives behind bars,” the animal party said.
