The Re-birth of a Zoo
Camagüey, Aug 30. – In these hot summer days, thousand of people are visiting the zoo located in the well-known Casino Campestre in Camagüey seeking to enjoy the delights of the Cuban flora and fauna.
Following a total revamp, the zoo recently re-opened its doors with some of its many attractions recovered, including options for the enjoyment of young and old alike.
Its manager Edy Jorge Garay affirms that this recreational facility features an aquarium for the display and sale of fish and an area for exotic birds.
He added that the number of species in the zoo should increase thanks to agreements and coordination the Flora and Fauna Protection Agency in Camagüey is doing, this will permit to grow in the number of species that are now on display.
Apart from these attractions, an animal health service was opened under ideal conditions.
Most visitors agree that the gastronomic service is good and the variety of offers is wide, a fact that is closely linked to the cafeteria menu and the setting up of three sail points where people can buy ice-cream, small meals and drinks.
As long as summertime lasts, the zoo will remain open from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. so that people living outside the city can visit the facility.
Dianis Rosa Bautista, a girl from Sierra de Cubitas, commended the hygiene and care of which animals are beneficiaries, particularly the monkeys which are her favourite ones.
“It is nice to see how the whole area has been repaired. There is a wide variety of exotic animals and vegetation, and the food is good”, says Yura Izaguirre who lives in the municipality of Guáimaro.
According to Edy Arias King, an animal keeper, he feeds them twice a day and cleans the cages before the zoo opens its gates.
Self-employees who sell toys are also grateful for the changes. Now, they have found renovated areas and the flow of visitors is greater.
Before the re-opening of the zoo, the Casino Campestre – considered to be Cuba’s largest urban park, had received other benefits like new street lights, its old benches had been replaced by new ones and the bandstand and its artificial cave had been refurbished and painted. (Alex López Almaguer/ Radio Cadena Agramonte)