By Felix Coffie
After few weeks of closure of the Accra Zoo, following Police investigations into the Lion – intruder case, the zoo will be re-opened to the public.
A Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio, says preparations are underway to re-open the zoo to the public as soon as practicable.
Mr. Bio made the point during a working visit to the Zoo to among others, inspect the progress made on preparations for its re-opening soon.
Having toured the zoo, he tasked the Zoo Manager to secure a security post some meters close to the lions’ den to ward off intruders and an outer parameter fence, all in efforts to give the public the best assurance of safety when they visit the zoo.
He also tasked them to get modernized restroom facilities for visitors and tourists around the waiting area with signage in the various animal cages and street lights all over the Forestry to light up at night.
CEO of Forestry Commission John Allotey said ”in an effort to get the zoo ready for re-opening, a transformer with its electricity polls has been installed with cables ready to light up the facility at night”.
He noted that new species and breeds of animals will soon be brought from Kumasi Zoo and the Shai Hills Resource area to populate the animals in the Accra Zoo citing Zebras, ostriches, chimpanzees, and others as examples.
Manager of the Accra zoo, Stephen Tamanja, disclosed that a number of Ghanaians and other nationals have been placing calls to the zoo requesting and looking forward to its reopening.
He cited a number of important reasons why all efforts are being made for the zoo to be opened as soon as practicable.
“This zoo is not only for relaxation purposes, but also for education, as most students come here for research purposes, and as you know, for tourist purposes, and this will also help boost the local economy, create employment and aid in the furtherance of the tourism sector”, he noted.
