AR713 - Environmental Studies in Architecture and Urban Design. First 2013-2014
Zoos as Recreational Places and Its Impact on the Egyptian
Society Alexandria Zoo (El Nozha), Egypt as case study
SAHAR SALAH BADR1
Architecture Department, Faculty of Engineering, Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport,
Alexandria, Egypt
Architecture Department, Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
ABSTRACT: The justification for zoos is based on their ability to act as sites of wildlife conservation. Alongside this is
the reality that zoos have historically been defined as sites for the entertainment of the general public and continue to
be dependent on the revenue raised through visitor receipts. Now zoos are identified as sites of conservation, re-
search, education, and entertainment. In recognition of this, this paper aims to promote the zoos’ role in Egypt
through clarifying the importance of zoos in our life, discussing the problems facing such places and increasing the
awareness of people regarding this subject. Literature studies about zoos and the analyses of Alexandria Zoo (El
Nozha) are the methods which this paper uses to achieve its aims.
Keywords: Zoos’ role, Zoos’ recommendations, Public awareness, Entertainment, Recreational.
1. INTRODUCTION
Zoos are one of the most popular social institutions, re-
ceiving thousands of visitors yearly, giving a global total
of more than 700 million participants (Gusset and Dick,
2011). The number of visitors to zoos often exceeds the
population of their host cities (Auricchio, 1999), sug-
gesting multiple visiting and that zoos are also popular
with visitors.
Despite these statistics, the zoo world still under-
utilizes its potential for the conservation of endangered
species (Azevedo et al., 2012), for the conservation of
biodiversity (Hoban and Vernesi, 2012), for the devel-
opment of scientific knowledge about native animals
(Conway, 2011; Pritchard et al., 2012), and for educa-
tional programs aimed at public awareness of environ-
mental issues (Wheater, 1995; Marandino and Mead-
ows, 2011).
Zoos today represent the only contact of many citi-
zens with nature. Zoo visitors need to be able to form a
personal connection to the issues surrounding conserva-
tion (Swanagan, 2000). Children represent a significant
proportion of zoo visitors (Turley, 2001). Zoos have
exhibited „exotic‟ animals from distant places that nor-
mal folk would never otherwise see. But with the growth
of ever larger cities people have become isolated from
even local wildlife (Morris, 1990). Zoos are public parks
which display animals, primarily for the purposes of
recreation or education (Singer, 1985). A zoo is defined
as being 'an establishment where wild animals are kept
for exhibition to which members of the public have ac-
cess, with or without charge for admission, seven or
more days in any period of twelve consecutive months'(
Zoos Expert Committee Handbook, 2012).
2. AIM AND OBJECTIVES
This paper aims to promote zoos‟ role in Egypt. Objec-
tives of this paper are clarifying the important role that
zoos present in our life, discussing the conditions of
such recreational places in Egypt, identifying the differ-
ent problems facing the zoo and its visitors and increas-
ing the awareness of the public considering such places.
3. METHODOLOGY
In order to meet the aims of this paper a various theatri-
cal studies were made about the importance of zoos and
its role, the recommendations should be applied for ideal
zoo, analysis of theories, studies, papers and examples
that have discussed similar subjects. Choosing Alexan-
dria Zoo (El Nozha), Egypt as a case study, an unstruc-
tured interview was taken with the visitors of the zoo.
4. HISTORICAL REVIEW FOR ZOOS IN EGYPT
The common theme throughout the histories of the zoo
is of it as a place of human entertainment and leisure.
This historical image is still the same in the eyes of the
public as only an entertainment place. However, zoos
are, today, identified as sites of conservation, research,
education, and entertainment. (Carr, N. and Cohen, S.,
2011; Benbow, 2004). It is difficult to give a precise date to the origin of
the zoo as it has changed in nature and meaning
throughout time. The earliest forms can be traced back
over 4500 years to historic civilizations such as the an-
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cient Egyptians, Chinese, and Romans. The Romans, for
example, kept animals in order to have living fodder for
the games (Benbow, 2004; Jamieson, 1985).
In 2000 BCE, the Chinese Emperor Wen Wang de-
signed a huge garden, which was called the Garden of
Intelligence. It was in fact an enormous zoo spread over
about 600 hectares (1500 acres). The Indian and Chinese
kings or emperors used zoos to show how rich and pow-
erful they were.
The conceptualization of zoos in the modern era has
built on their historic construction as places of human
entertainment; places to be visited during leisure time
where the animals are presented for the amusement of
visitors. Late in 18th and early 19th century witnessed
an important evolution for zoos with the creation of zoo-
logical societies, the first modern zoos were founded in
Vienna, Madrid, Paris, Berlin and London such as the
Zoological Society of London that gave a scientific rai-
son d‟etre for zoos and opened the first truly public zoos
(Turley, 1998). The first American zoos were estab-
lished in Philadelphia and Cincinnati in the 1870s (Ja-
mieson, 1985).
In Egypt the wall carvings found are evidence that
rulers and aristocrats created menageries as early as
2500 BCE. They left records of expeditions to distant
places to bring back exotic animals such as giraffes,
elephants, bears, dolphins, and birds. There is evidence
that ancient zoo owners hired animal handlers to make
sure their animals thrived and reproduced. More than 4
thousand years ago, Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt made a
garden for animals that her soldiers brought back from
other countries, animals that were not known in Egypt.
This is the first zoo recorded in history (National Geo-
graphic, 2013)
The first modern zoo in Egypt is the Giza Zoo. It
was built by Khedive Ismail and was opened on 1 March
1891. It was built on about 21 hectares that was once
part of the harem gardens. Ismail imported many plants
from India, Africa, and South America. The original 180
birds and 78 other animals in the zoos collection were
taken from Ismail's private menagerie. In the late 1870s
the state took over the zoo as partial payment of the Is-
mail's debts. In January 1890, the harem building was
opened as a natural history museum, and was used in
this manner until a new museum was opened in Tahrir
square in 1902 (Almasry Alyoum, 2011).
When the zoo was built, the exhibits with semi-
natural habitats were considered spacious by European
standards. The animal collection emphasized Egyptian
species, and at one time claimed 20,000 individuals rep-
resenting 400 species, though many of these may have
been migratory birds. The uniqueness of the zoo lay not
only in its possession of rare animal species and plants,
but also in its lay-out and design. Gustave Eiffel, the
engineer behind the Eiffel Tower in Paris, built a metal
suspension bridge in the grounds that allows visitors a
view of the animals from the top of artificial hills. By
the end of World War II the zoo claimed 4,700 exhibits.
In 2007, the zoo hosted 3.4 million visitors.
By the mid twentieth century, the zoo was considered
one of the best zoos in the world, but it has had trouble
adapting to the pressures of growth in the latter half of
the century as human populations in Cairo have in-
creased. World Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(WAZA) had inspected the Giza Zoo in 2003 and had
drawn up a list of 14 main recommendations for im-
provements, bringing the zoo up to international stand-
ards.
Declining standards at the zoo had meant that WAZA
had been reluctant to endorse the facility. In 2004, the
zoo lost its membership with WAZA. The zoo did not
pay membership fees, and then ignored the recommen-
dations of WAZA inspectors. In 2010, the zoo became a
member of the African Association of Zoos and Aquaria
(PAAZAB), and is still working towards getting re-
accredited by WAZA (Almasry Alyom, 2011; Elahram
Weekly, 2008).
Alexandria Zoo is considered the second largest zoo
in Egypt, after Giza Zoo in Cairo and it is going to be
discussed in details later in this paper as a study case.
5. THE PRUPOSE OF ZOOS
Zoos open to the public can be found in virtually every
country in the world. The World Association of Zoos
and Aquariums now consists of more than 1,200 institu-
tions which together attract over 600 million visitors per
annum. Zoos have become nowadays highly sophisticat-
ed organizations. Most people and governments now
believe that a zoo fulfills many valuable purposes (Hol-
torf 2008).
5.1. SOCIAL PURPOSE
The wider is the variety of animals, the greater the satis-
faction of the public. Going to the zoo means entering a
new world, it is because it brings people closer to a nat-
ural environment. Adults usually bring their children
with them whenever they go to this kind of place for
recreation. Both have an innate interest in animals.
Many individuals find this practice quite relaxing, recre-
ational and fun experience (Tribe and Booth, 2003).
5.2. ECONOMIC PURPOSE
Zoos have become a place of tourist’s attraction. A zoo
is a place of pride for a country. Each zoo has its own
characteristics, specialties or sceneries. London Zoo is
one of the landmarks in the City. Vincennes, near Paris,
has a zoo that attracts millions of visitors every year
(Hub pages, 2011). The fees which are paid by these
millions of visitors represent an important mean of in-
come to the zoo and to the country.
5.3. EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH PURPOSE
A zoo also has the purpose of catering for the needs of
scientists. Research in animal behavior, disease, feeding
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and breeding habits can be effectively carried out in
zoos. The scientific researcher can study his subject at
ease and return to it as frequently as he needs. People
can enroll in special courses or conduct field trips inside
zoos. Children can also benefit from this because they
can familiarize themselves with the different kinds of
animal species. A lot of new scientific knowledge about
animals has been obtained by close studies in zoos. Zoos
are very much important to various kinds of fields in-
cluding animal psychology, ecology and zoo biology
(Hub pages, 2011 and Why guides, 2011).
5.4. ECOLOGICAL PURPOSE (CONSERVATION) Modern zoos have been constructed as places where
members of the public can learn how they can contribute
to the survival of endangered species (Serrell, 1981;
Smith and Broad, 2008; Ballantyne, et al. 2007).
Throughout history, a number of contributing factors
have led to the extinction of some animal species. To
protect endangered animals, scientists simulate a natural
setting where animals can live safely while in captivity
where they can breed and increase while they are pro-
tected from these harmful factors (Why guide, 2011).
Zoos help to arouse people‟s awareness about the
importance and functions of animals in the wider world,
and to sustain this awareness. A zoo can do a lot to form
an animal-conscious population so that the natural re-
serves of the country can be better maintained. It may
instill in the ordinary citizen the idea that animals must
not be over-hunted. Animals play an important role in
the ecology of the planet and help to maintain the bal-
ance of nature (Tribe and Booth, 2003).
5.5. HUMAN- ANIMAL RELATIONSHIP
Visitors were found to be willing to spend much
more time looking for and watching monkeys in trees
than in cages (E. C. Price et al., 1994). Kreger and
Mench (1995) found that visitors‟ interest in less famil-
iar animals may be sufficiently strong that they are will-
ing to pay extra fees to participate in additional pro-
grams involving direct human-animal interaction, such
as animal rides and public feedings. A good relationship
between man and animal cannot be achieved if man does
not have a better knowledge of his close companions.
Animals can be better understood by all people with the
help of a zoo (Hub pages, 2011).
It is clear that zoos must perform four roles in order to
be seen to be socially acceptable and to be economically
viable. These roles are conservation, education, re-
search, and entertainment (Jamieson 1985; Reade and
Waran 1996; Turley 1998; Fernandez, et al. 2009).
Based on this reality Turley (1998, p. 340) has stated
that “zoos must balance carefully the demands of the
paying visitor with those of maintaining credibility as
conservation and education-oriented organizations.”
6. CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
ZOOS
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (2oo5)
has over 200 members. Its strategy “provides a common
philosophy for zoos and aquariums across the globe and
defines the standards and policies that are necessary to
achieve their goals in conservation”
A 21st century zoo according to the World Associa-
tion of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA, 2005) should ap-
ply the following:
* Permanent sited with legal establishment, open and
administered for the visiting public,
* Living organisms are maintained in accordance with
animal welfare and scientific management principles
and in general ethical conditions,
* The foremost and the demonstrable purpose of conser-
vation is through exhibition, education and research,
* The principal business rationale is not the commercial
trade in living organisms or their products.
The World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strate-
gy (WZACS, 2005) calls on institutions to pursue a
strategy of integrated conservation and strive to allocate
all their financial and human resources carefully and
intelligently, with maximum cohesive and strategic
thinking within their own organization, and maximum
collaboration with others. This will achieve the greatest
sustainable conservation benefit for threatened species,
their habitats and their human neighbors.
7. EDUCATION RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
ZOOS
The education role of the zoo is to be clearly stated in its
written mission statement.
* The zoo must have a written education policy identify-
ing components and setting out the methods by which
these components are directed towards the different sec-
tions of the zoo‟s visitor audience.
* Zoo education should target all visitors, not just
schools.
* The zoo must demonstrate that it is carrying out its
education policy, by reference to specific projects, eval-
uation procedures and research.
* At least one member of staff within the institution
should be responsible for professional implementation
of the education policy.
* For education programs to be successful, zoos must
exhibit animals in the best conditions possible.
* A reference library appropriate to the size and com-
plexity of the zoo should be maintained and made avail-
able to all staff members and to the public.
* Resource material and education information should
be made available to the general public and zoo audi-
ence (The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria
(EAZA, 2001)
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8. RECREATION RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
ZOOS
A zoo visit is supposed to be fun; it should remind peo-
ple of the wonder of life and the joy of the natural world.
Communication strategies can help visitors to learn
while they are having fun (Kreger and Mench, 1995).
* Visitors should be encouraged to understand that the
fun that they are experiencing during their visit today
has a direct link to the conservation of threatened spe-
cies tomorrow.
* Visitors should be provided with every opportunity to
talk to staff.
* Visitors should be treated as guests on a shared jour-
ney of discovery and appreciation for the future of the
natural world.
* When zoos and aquariums are fully integrated with
other conservation organizations and agencies, visitors
will feel good about their visit, knowing that they posi-
tively help in the conservation of threatened species and
habitats.
* People should be motivated when they become mem-
bers and sponsors of zoos and aquariums, they will join
to help further in conservation goals, not just as a mem-
ber offers a „season ticket‟ to visit the attraction or other
benefits. (The
World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy
(WZACS), 2005)
9. ETHICS AND ANIMAL WELFARE RECOM-
MENDATIONS FOR ZOOS
The continued existence of zoos and aquariums depends
upon recognition that our profession is based on respect
for the dignity of the animals in our care.
* Basic principles for animal welfare are assisting in
achieving the conservation and survival of species must
be the aim of all members of the profession.
* Any actions taken in relation to an individual animal
must be undertaken with this higher ideal of species
survival in mind.
* The welfare of the individual animal should not be
compromised.
* Promoting the interests of wildlife conservation biodi-
versity and animal welfare to colleagues and to society.
* Cooperating with the wider conservation community
including wildlife agencies, conservation organizations
and research institutions to assist in maintaining global
biodiversity.
* Cooperating with governments and appropriate bodies
to improve standards of animal welfare.
* Encouraging research and dissemination of achieve-
ments and results in appropriate publications and fo-
rums.
* Promoting public education programs and cultural
recreational activities of zoos and aquariums. (The
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA),
2005)
10. PREVIOUS STUDES ABOUT ZOOS
Due to the important value of zoos and the different
roles that zoos present in the society, there have been
some previous studies about zoos in Egypt and in other
countries.
Concerning Egyptian zoos, Battesti. Vincent (2006) in
his research The Giza Zoo Re-appropriating Public
Spaces, Reimagining Urban Beauty, he chooses Giza
Zoo as a study case as it has an important historical val-
ue as it was mentioned in this paper previously. He de-
pends on his own observation skills and on structured
interview with the public, some of them are zoo’s visi-
tors and some are not. He targets to visit the zoo in dif-
ferent days for example on a festival day, on a weekend
and on an ordinary day in the middle of the week. His
aim from this research is to understand how people in-
teract with such public gardens and their altitudes and
actions inside the place in addition to the human- animal
relationship. In the conclusion, he states the standards of
people using such places. He finds that the uses of the
zoo have evolved under the influence of two great
movements.
One, zoo planners and administrators have designed
a mission for the zoo, planning and directing the behav-
ior patterns of guests, animals, and guards, guided by the
metanarrative of what a zoo ought to be and how green
space ought to be used. Two, the zoo has come to em-
body the dynamic articulation of density and vibrancy,
and to serve as a stage for plays of domesticity, flirta-
tion, and theatricality.
Gewaily. Marwa (2010) in her thesis with the title
Visitor Experience in Zoo Design: Design Guidelines
for Giza Zoo. She examines case studies of the elephant
and lion exhibits in three zoos Zoo Atlanta, San Diego
Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo and she concluded criteria to
refine the definition of a visitor experience in the Giza
Zoo. Her aim in this thesis is helping the Giza Zoo re-
turn on the world‟s list as one of the best zoological gar-
dens in the region, and regaining the support of sponsor
organizations, volunteers and the general public. In addi-
tion this thesis will provide ideas for educating visitors
about environmental conservation, animal rights‟ awareness, and how human behavior impacts natural
habitat and wildlife. In the conclusion, she finds that
some exhibition areas in Giza Zoo require additional
space and some others needs to be redesigned. The ex-
hibit design should follow the criteria guidelines.
Through the previous studies and analysis, it was found
that zoos play an important role in human life and affect
the society from different sides, thus Alexandria Zoo (El
Nozha), Egypt was chosen as a case study for this paper
to be observed, analyzed and discussed.
11. CASE STUDY (ALEXANDRIA ZOO)
The Alexandria Zoo (El Nozha) is a zoo close to the
Smouha neighborhood in Alexandria, Egypt (Figure 1).
Alexandria‟s first „zoo‟ was built by Ptolemy II over
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two thousand years ago. The zoo is one of the old zoo-
logical gardens in the east. It was part of the historical
Antoniadis Gardens. Antoniadis Gardens is full of rare
botanical fauna which is imported from different coun-
tries. In 1916 the Antoniadis Gardens was redesigned to
be suitable to display some animals and wild birds. The
zoo remained unstable inside Antoniadis till it settled in
1926. Its area is 25 acres. Today‟s zoo was opened in
1958. In 1986 Alexandria zoo joined the State of Egyp-
tian Zoos and Wild Life Conservation.
Figure 1: Alexandria Zoo (El Nozha) map. (Alexandria li-
brary, 2013)
12. DISCUSSION Architecturally, the zoo is structurally built on two lev-
els, the upper level originally housing animals from hot-
ter climates, with more temperate animals living on the
lower level, where cool air is channeled down, thus re-
ducing the need for any kind of air-conditioning in one
of the world‟s hottest countries.
Figure 2: Alexandria zoo map illustrating the 2 structural
levels of the zoo. (Alexandria Library, 2013)
The zoo has four main entrances (Figure 3), one in
each corner, only one of this is accessed by the public
(Northern entrance in the lower level) and the other
three entrances are locked. The zoo doesn‟t have an of-
ficial map.
Figure 3: Alexandria Zoo map illustrating the 4 entrances of
the zoo (Alexandria library, 2013)
The exhibits were also built as great attractions in
themselves. The old polar bear exhibit is another show-
cased attraction (Figure 4); designed to look like a glaci-
er, the small enclosure had very bright signs, as well as
cool showers and a pool for the polar bears to use.
Most of the zoo‟s exhibits are now empty or in disre-
pair, the zoo tried to fill every empty space with animals
but had been stopped by financial constraints. Though it
currently means that there are no rhinos, giraffes, striped
hyenas, polar bear, it has greatly reduced over-
crowdedness.
At the gate of the zoo, some vendors are applying
their products to display on the stairs of the zoo in an
unorganized way (Figure 5) causing a distorted view at
the gate. On entry, 5 LE are paid as a fee for the tickets
for Egyptians and 20 LE for tourists. The zoo is closed
on Tuesdays. There are 2 boards hanged on the wall of
the entrance, they contain the regulations and rules that
visitors should follow inside the garden.
Figure 4: The polar bear exhibit in Alexandria Zoo.
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Figure 5: Vendors exposing their products to display on the
stairs at the entrance of the Alexandria Zoo.
Most „cages‟ at the zoo are iron-barred and concrete-
floored. The most numerous animals in the zoo the ex-
ception of are cats; strays are encountered on every cor-
ner and in pretty much every empty enclosure, along
with some which aren‟t empty.
The lower level focuses on bears; though they don‟t
have a polar bear anymore, the zoo still houses a pair of
brown bears, as well as a lone Asiatic Black bear.
Feeding is an option – extra fees of 2 LE should be
paid to feed the animals- the bears spend most of their
time sitting waiting for food. Most of the bear cages are
now empty. Opposite the bears is a series of rarely-
noticed cages; which holds a red fox, a raccoon and
Egyptian Jackals. A small paddock for a pair of camels is nearby, and
children can ride (extra fees required) the camels around
the paddock. The Giraffe house is next, with a reasona-
bly large paddock for a solitary giraffe, but unfortunate-
ly the giraffe was dead; they have since fenced off the
near end of the giraffe paddock and keep some odd-
looking goats there (which can also be fed).
The sealion pool, which used to house two sealions
but there, is now only one. Again, visitors are welcome
to enter the enclosure and feed the sealion (for extra
fees) which jumps out of the water on command.
A series of paddocks on the left hold varieties of
horses for children to ride (extra fees required).
Then the old Asian Elephant house comes into view
but unfortunately the elephant was died recently. Kids
used to be able to ride it, but it wasn't seen that anyone
go in for several years; But, you still can feed it. Next up
is the old white rhino paddock, there hasn‟t been a rhino
here for many years, the public were able to ride and
feed it.
After climbing back up some stairs to the upper level,
there‟s the lion house is on the right (Figure 6). The lion
house has amazing acoustics, designed to resonate every
growl and roar into a fearful noise (unfortunately, they
still promote this today, and keepers often cause the li-
ons to roar just for the public‟s enjoyment).
Figure 6: Lion house from inside.
Then there is a moat which has also become very
dirty and littered with peoples‟ rubbish. Any animals in
the lion house can be fed, they can roar on command, or
stand on their hind legs to reach for food. The keepers
seem to take great pleasure in organizing sessions in
which all the cats roar, but it is incredibly saddening to
hear.
Almost in the center of the zoo is a kind of observa-
tion tower – it‟s closed to the public so no one knows
what it is for, but it seems to have fallen into disrepair in
recent years. Surrounding this tower there are empty
paddocks. Just off to one side is a small cafe, next to a
building which houses the zoo‟s museum (which has
been closed for several years) and the reptile house
which is the majority of residents in the reptile house
were Egyptian cobras.
Following the path round, there‟s a group of small
cages holding several monkeys, the chimpanzee cages
are empty. Monkeys can also be fed, but people like to
taunt them too. Next is the monkey mountain, a huge
mock-rock structure which is home to a large troop of
Hamadryas baboons (Figure 7).
People can buy peanuts to throw in for the baboons,
but they also like to throw in rubbish and some poten-
tially lethal items. Watching the baboons is very inter-
esting, but we did see some spine-chilling behavior dis-
turbing stuff tends to come from the zoo visitors.
Figure 7: The Monkey Mountain in Alexandria zoo.
Next along the path, there is a waterfowl pond, a
large pond with a fountain and some trees on an island
in the middle (Figure 8). The pond is home to several
white pelicans (which you can feed), swan geese, do-
mestic geese and ducks and the odd wild egret who flies
in occasionally.
Figure 8: The water pond with an island in the middle.
Nearby there are two single hippo enclosures.
Though not huge, they are each of a reasonable size for
a single hippo. You can feed the hippo outside or enter
the house and feed one of them up close.
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Also next to the waterfowl pond is a pair of enclo-
sures, each with a large pool, one for flamingos and one
for white storks.
Groups of the public were gathering on the floors (Fig-
ure 9), pavements and grasses to have their picnics, to
have lunch and rest.
Figure 9: A family having lunch on the pavement.
Groups of boys were walking around the place with
drums disturbing visitors and animals (Figure 10). Some
people use motorcycles inside the place. The public in-
side the zoo are gathering around the most attracted fea-
tures according to their opinion (Figure 11 and 12).
Figure 10: A group of people setting on a fence and singing
.
Figure 11: A map that represents the distributions of animals
in the zoo. (Alexandria zoo (Egypt) Facebook page, 2012)
Figure 12: Alexandria zoo map illustrating the important
gathering points inside the zoo.(Alexandria library, 2013)
1- In front of the polar bear cage where there is a wide empty
space used to be a fountain in the lower level, 2- Around the
water pond in the upper level, 3- In front of the lions’ house, 4-
Around the zoo’s tower in the middle of the zoo, 5- In front of
the elephant’s cage.
Through the tour inside the zoo, it is noted that the ser-
vices were not distributed regularly; they were spreading
here and there in no order preventing the vision of the
visitors to enjoy the view or being an obstacle in their
way while walking around the place.
There are no security guards inside the zoo, only the
zoo keepers who keep eyes on the animals in their cages.
No one was capable of taking care of the regulations and
rules that must be applied inside or to take care of the
visitors‟ safety inside the zoo.
The clinic of the zoo was locked (Figure 13) and it is
not used anymore. Also the administration building
(Figure 14) of the zoo was locked and no one is allowed
to get inside.
Figure 13: The clinic Figure 14: The administration
building from outside. building’s door of the zoois locked.
On interviewing the zoo‟s visitors and asking them
questions about the zoo, their responses were having
many common points on criticizing the zoo‟s conditions
and services, in addition to their demands that they wish
to have inside the place.
The interview was taken on the weekend with ran-
dom visitors of the zoo. The interviewee were males and
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females with different ages, oldies and kids and from
different standards, they were all asked the same ques-
tions. The first question that was asked to the interview-
ee was how often you come to the zoo; most answers
came to be from one to two times a month. A lady in
mid-30‟s with her 2 kids a boy (5 years old) and a girl (7
years old) responds “I come to the zoo every weekend-
meaning 4 times a month- with my kids; I love animals
so do my kids, we come to feed them and to watch them,
despite that there are so little number of animals in the
zoo nowadays”, another lady in mid-40‟s was with three
other ladies of same ages and their five kids their ages
ranged from 2-8 years old responds “ We come to the
zoo once every year, the fees are so high for us to come
with our kids every month, we don‟t have car so we hire
one to get us here and it costs much money, in addition
to the extra fees that we paid inside the zoo for every
service, so we can only afford the fees for such a visit
every month, that‟s why we come once a year.
For the question of why you come to the zoo; the
answers are nearly the same, they all goes around having
fun, playing, watching animals and feeding them. A man
in beginnings of 40‟s with his wife with their kids, a girl
(9 years old) and a boy (5 years old) responds “We come
to the zoo to make the our kids play, have fun, watch
animals and change the routine” but his wife disturbs
him saying “But the zoo needs to be maintained to be
more compatible with the huge number of kids that visit
it every day, The services and the security must be more
controlled”. A lady in 50‟s responds was with her hus-
band and children, they are two boys one (20 years old)
and the other is (17 years old) responds (We come to the
zoo for recreation and relaxation and have fun but the
available places inside the zoo to set and have our picnic
is so limited and the cafeterias present very bad services
compared to the prices they ask for.”. A lady in 20‟s
with her girl (4 years old) responds “I come with my girl
because she loves to feed the animals; we only spend an
hour or two have fun and leave”.
The question of what are the means of transportation
you use to get to the zoo, most of the answers were by
taxis or by mini buses or by car. A man in the 50‟s, his
wife and their baby girl responds “We live in a far place,
we use three means of public transportation to reach the
zoo that cause to increase the fees that we spend to come
visit the zoo, and we hope to have a direct mean of
transportation from our place direct to the zoo”. Another
man in the beginnings of 40‟s with his three girls (5, 7, 9
years old) responds “ We come here with our privet car,
but the problem is that there is no parking for the zoo
visitors, the visitor have to park his car in the street in
front of the zoo which is not safe”.
The question concerning the services that the zoo
serves was the shocking one. All the answers were nega-
tive answers towards the All the visitors complain about
the services of the zoo and say that the zoo‟s services
should be promoted, not only for the visitors‟ services
but also the animals‟ services. A man in 30‟s with his
wife and his girl (6 years old), they were tourists from
Libya, it is the first time to visit the zoo. He responds
“We will never come here again, the way of people here
in treating us as foreigners is very rude, we pay extra
fees for every service we ask for, the quality of the ser-
vices is so bad corresponding to their fees, we even pay
four times the price of the tickets to get inside the zoo.
There are no maps, diagrams, or signs to help us in our
tour inside the zoo. Add to that the place is so poor and
there are so little numbers of animals, the cages are not
organized and look and smell bad”. The man with the
three girls responds “There is no suitable furniture to be
used, all benches and seats are damaged and people use
it in these conditions because there is no other option”.
A girl in her 20‟s was sitting alone eating all the floor
responds “The people controlling the places which are
suitable to set and eat, ask for extra fees and my family
can‟t afford it as we are 12 persons, so we spread on the
floor and have lunch”. The lady with her only girl re-
sponds “The toilets her is a disaster, there is only one
females‟ toilet and one males‟ toilet located in a far
place in the zoo where it is hard to reach and if reached
its conditions are very bad that it can‟t be used” then she
noted “The clinic of the zoo is closed, meaning that if
anyone get harmed or injured, there will be a big prob-
lem to rescue him”.
13. CONCLUDED STANDARDS CRITERIA
According to the previous studyings and analysis, a cri-
teria for the standards of zoos that should be applied in
any zoo is concluded. There are some aspects that affect
directly the quality of the zoo and the role which it pre-
sents.
13.1. ECONOMIC STANDARDS
Zoos can be considered one of the important sources of
income. Millions of people visit the zoo every year, so
the zoo should provide the following; Zoos are from the
places which the public class considers the main destina-
tion for recreation and leisure, the tickets fee should be
reasonable and accessible for to all people which all
their standards and cultures, the inside services should
be controlled and observed by the administration of the
zoo, the inside activities fees should meet the ability of
the public standards visiting such places, the national
governmental organization should provide zoos with
financial support to help them in promoting.
13.2. ENVIRONMINTAL STANDARDS
Zoos are a specialized type of gardens. Air, water, bo-
tanical life and wastes are main features in zoos. Water
ponds and water features should be renewed and main-
tained periodically. Leaving this water un-cleaned for a
long time convert it into contaminated polluted water,
animal wastes should be cleaned, accumulated wastes
AR713 - Environmental Studies in Architecture and Urban Design. First 2013-2014
causes air pollution, taking care of the botanical life in-
side the zoo is a must.
13.3. WELFARE STANDARDS
Zoos are constructed to protect the endangered species
& the animals that are near to extinction. In order to
represent this role effectively, zoos should have con-
tained these features, the animals' cages need to be as
much as possible equivalent to the environment where
the animals live in nature, appropriate supply of food &
water need to be served to them, medical services are
essential services that animals should have periodically,
zoos should follow the guidelines of the animal rights
organization in protecting endangered animals.
13.4. SOCIAL STANDARDS
Zoo is a place where people go to have a different recre-
ational experience and to get closer to the animal world.
Such places should have, more attraction features addi-
tional to animals like museums, exhibitions or periodical
events, playing areas should be suitable for kids to use,
gathering areas should be obviously noticed inside the
place. It should be supplied with its services.
13.5. SERVICES STANDARDS
The inside services of zoos are from the main points that
affect the public attraction to zoos. A map for the zoo or
a tour guide are two important ways helping to facilitate
the visitors in their tour inside the zoo, restaurants and
cafes with good services act as points of attraction, toi-
lets and public services should be in good quality and
distributed well inside the place and near to the public
gathering points.
13.6. EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH STAND-
ARDS
Zoos can help in the educational process and research
about animals and their lives. In order to help in this
process the following standards should be applied; the
educational process or the research process should not
harm the animals from any physiological or psychologi-
cal side, this process should be carried out by experi-
enced specialists in this domain, information resources
should be presented on demand, a library should be at-
tached to the zoo having all the data and information
concerning the zoo and the animals in it and it should be
available to the staff member and public as well.
13.7. SAFETY AND SECURITY STANDARDS
Zoos are places where there is always a direct interac-
tion between public and animals. Safety procedures
should be clearly enforced inside the place. Experienced
keepers should be present to watch after the animals and
observe their safety especially at the time when animals
are in a direct contact with the public. Security guards
should be wandering inside the zoo, taking care of the
visitors and their safety inside the place.
13.8. TRANSPORTATION
The government must supply the country with suitable
means of transportations from fixed known areas to the
zoo with reasonable fees.
A parking service should be available to cars or buses
transporting the visitors.
14. FINDINGS
According to the personal observation, the unstructured
interview that was taken with the zoo‟s visitors, the col-
lected data and the concluded standards, these are the
findings. Visitors have not been significantly exposed to
the changing roles of zoos in the world of accelerating
man- inflicted biodiversity loss.
Regarding the reasons for visiting the zoo (Figure15),
45% of the interviewees visit the zoo for leisure and
entertainment, 36% to bring their children, followed by
14% interest in knowing animals and 4% has different
motives like working in the zoo or selling products in-
side the zoo or having other activities.
Figure 15: Graph showing the percentage of people regard-
ing their reason of visiting the zoo.
There are number of problems face the zoo and its visi-
tors‟. The economic problems such as that the zoo faced
lots of issues that needed a financial support which was
not present, therefor it increases the tickets‟ fees to help
in increasing their financial income allowing them keep
operating. However, increasing the ticket fee formed a
problem for zoo‟s visitor because of the living standard
of people visiting such places can‟t afford such cost sev-
eral times per month. Also the extra fees those are re-
quired inside the zoo in return of any service like riding
the camel or feeding the bears forms a financial problem
for the visitors as they are more load on them consider-
ing the high ticket‟s fee.
The environmental problems such as the garbage is
strewn everywhere. The water in the water bonds is con-
taminated, polluted and full of wastes, spreading an aw-
ful smell all around the place. In addition to that the ugly
view which it present to the place. Animal wastes are
spread all inside the animals‟ cages. The botanical life
AR713 - Environmental Studies in Architecture and Urban Design. First 2013-2014
inside the zoo is neglected, not only there is no one to
take care of it but also the way people treat the present
life causes its deterioration.
The animal welfare problems are one of the greatest
problems facing the zoo. Animals are considered the
attraction feature in any zoo. Alexandria zoo faces a
huge problem in this point due to continuous loss in the
number of animals in the zoo. Many animals have died
recently in the zoo and they are not replaced by other
ones. The cages are very poor an unsuitable to be ani-
mals shelters. The animals themselves are so weak and
bored due to their health care neglection and bad feeding
habits. The way of treatment the animals get from some
of the visitors who don‟t have sufficient awareness in
treating animals. There are three conceptions affecting
animal welfare in zoos which are natural living, basic
health and functioning and affective organizations.
All the services inside the zoo facing problems start-
ing from the entrance that there is no map for the zoo as
well there are no directing signs. The cafeterias‟ services
are with very bad quality. The toilets are in a very bad
condition and away from the points of visitors gathering.
There is no medical service inside the zoo. There are no
points of attraction inside the zoo except animals. The
museum is closed. The playgrounds and the amusement
park are so poor to be used. The garden‟s furniture are
damaged and destroyed.
There is no mean of security and safety inside the
zoo. No security guards only the zoo keepers who
watch after the animals. There is no one to make sure
that zoo‟s regulations and rules are applied inside the
place whether for visitors actions or for visitors treat-
ment to animals.
There is no direct mean of transportation from the
city center or any station to take the visitors to the zoo.
Visitors have to depend on themselves to reach the zoo,
using different mean of public transportations and some
of them use more than one mean to get to the zoo. Visi-
tors who have privet car will face the problem of no
parking; they will have to park their own cars in the
street which is not safe for the car.
15. CONCLUSION
Through this paper it is clarified the role that zoos pre-
sent in our life. Zoos are identified as sites of conserva-
tion, research, education, and entertainment.
There are certain recommendations that the zoo should
apply to be an ideal zoo. The zoos conditions in Egypt
are deteriorating day by day. Current conditions and
problems in Alexandria Zoo (El Nozha) have been ob-
served and mentioned in the paper previously as a case
study. Alexandria Zoo was a sample of the zoos in
Egypt and the neglection and deterioration that is hap-
pening in it is the same to what is happing in all the zoos
in Egypt. Physical enrichment, cognitive enrichment,
social enrichment, environmental enrichment and nutri-
tion are demands to stop what is happening in zoos and
to increase the public awareness about such places. An-
imal welfare should be promoted and efforts towards
preventing the endangered species. Working on the
Egyptian zoos to gain the membership of World Associ-
ation of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) will give a hand
to such places to be more effective and efficient. Further
researches needed to find solutions for the clarified
problems facing such places and its visitors as well.
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