Costa Rican Government Plans to Close Public Zoos

So they are going to "free" captive born african lions into the wilds of Costa Rica??? This idea is ridiculous.
 
This National Geographic article has more information.

Costa Rica Closes Zoos?Where Will the Animals Go?

Two things of note:

1. This only affects the two government-owned facilities (Simón Bolívar Zoo and Conservation Center of Santa Ana). There are several other zoos and animal attractions which are not affected.

2. A separate law that makes it illegal to keep wildlife as pets has filled up the rescue facilities with surrendered animals.

I don't know details about the two affected facilities, but some of the photos in the news articles indicate that massive renovations would be required if the zoos are not closed. My cynical nature says this was a financial decision which has been spun as an ethical decision to garner goodwill.
 
Hopefully this won't hurt the endemic frog species that is now mostly restricted to the grounds of the Simon Bolivar Zoo.

Honestly, turning those grounds into a public nature area isn't a bad idea. The urban central valley of Costa Rica doesn't have much public space. ZooAve is an excellent facility, though I'm not sure they have much room for a sudden influx of 300 animals.
 
It's quite astonishing to read about 300 animals being transferred to a single zoo, especially one on approximately 35 acres. It will be interesting to get updates on how Zoo Ave handles the influx of new captive animals on its grounds.
 
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