Revised Limassol Zoo transformation proposal returns to municipal council
A revised plan for Limassol Zoo would create a biodiversity centre while allowing a limited number of animals outside captive conditions.
Limassol, Cyprus. A revised proposal to transform Limassol Zoo into a biodiversity and urban environment centre is due before the municipal council on Thursday, following the rejection of an earlier plan on June 18.
The revised plan retains the goal of creating an educational centre while providing for a limited number of mainly bird species and other animals that would not be kept in captivity conditions.
Revised proposal
The previous proposal, submitted by the Cyprus Centre for Environmental Research and Education, part of the Limassol Metropolis, sought to convert the zoo into a “Nature” Biodiversity and Urban Environment Centre for Limassol.
It was rejected by the municipal council by 14 votes to 10 on June 18.
Mayor Yiannis Armeftis told Phileleftheros that the revised proposal incorporates positions and decisions expressed after the rejection. He said an expanded meeting with the heads of the council’s political groups had considered a new proposal for the zoo’s operation and transformation.
Animal welfare conditions
Armeftis said the central aim remains the conversion of the site into an educational centre focused on biodiversity and the urban environment.
Under the revised plan, a limited number of animals, mainly birds, could be housed at the site, along with a small number of other species that could be accommodated without captive conditions.
He said areas would be designed to provide birds with larger spaces rather than cages. The birds would either move freely or be housed under protective netting.
Armeftis said the limited number of animals and the avoidance of captive conditions were core requirements of the proposal. He described the plan as involving mainly domestic rather than wild animals.
Council consideration
The mayor said his initial impression of the atmosphere surrounding the revised proposal was positive.
A presentation is scheduled for the next municipal council meeting to inform all members. No immediate decision is expected, he said, and the council will subsequently be asked to take a position on the proposal.
Armeftis said the absence of animal captivity remained his key condition, adding that animals should either be free or housed in conditions designed to safeguard their welfare.
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