I've written elsewhere that for a little bit of money, Egyptian zookeepers will let you feed almost any animal at the zoo. For a little bit more, 'special experiences' are available. Over the last two decades, you could ride the elephants/rhinos/camels/ostrich/immature lions, and nowadays you can still enter the enclosures of many of the calmer animals.
The sight of the girls in the peacock enclosure isn't shocking at all, it isn't worse than any petting zoo in the world. The close encounters with the elephants, rhinos and lions are much more problematic and unsafe.
