Costa Rica seeks to close both public zoos

[alp227]

Source: AP

Costa Rican officials say they plan to close both of the country's public zoos next year so that animals can be freed from their cages. But the foundation that runs the animal parks said Saturday it is trying to keep them operating.

Environment Minister Rene Castro announced in recent days that the 97-year-old Simon Bolivar zoo in central San Jose will become a botanical park next year. Another zoo west of the city, the Santa Ana Conservation Center, also would close. Together they hold 400 animals of 60 species, including a lion, crocodiles, monkeys and a tapir.

The Environment Ministry said the animals would be released into the wild or sent to rescue centers.

The foundation that runs the zoos, known as Fundazoo, has asked an administrative tribunal to block the closure, foundation spokesman Eduardo Bolanos said Saturday. It argues that its contract to run the zoos has been renewed through 2024.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/costa-rica-seeks-close-both-public-zoos

[mattvermont]

1. Having been there many times,

the entire country is a zoo extrordinaire. Why not push tourists into the wild to see the spectacular flora and fuana?

[vinny9698]

3. Some animals are not native to the area.

You will not see elephants, zebras,etc in the wild in CR>

[vinny9698]

2. Most corrupt country in Cental America

I have visited CR several times, the government is run by 5 families who take turns with the presidency. The government does not spend any money. The main roads are gravel and double lane only. The customs and immigrations officers between Panama and Nicaragua have only a baseball cap and a badge hanging around their neck. While the Panamaians and Nicaraguans have uniforms.
Great country to visit but do not want to live there. A lot of retired Americans live there but the best advice I got from a retired American there was not to buy a house, but to rent only. Then you can move if the neighbors go south, if the government ups your tax bills, or if their is a claim against your land by a local, you lose. Real estate agents sell land they do not have complete title and then disappear.

[mattvermont]

4. hyperbole much?

Honduras, Guatamala, Belize, El salvador just might be ahead on the 'corrupt' .

[vinny9698]

6. I have visited Panama, CR, Nicaragua

The border agents in Panama and Nicaragua have uniforms, CR has a baseball cap and a badge hung around their neck.
The 5 families did away with the military because in the 50s and 60s there were a lot of military coups happening. No military, no coups.
The roads in Panama and Nicaragua remind me of roads here in the US. CR gravel roads between major cities. The United Fruit Company donated their railroad that crisscrossed CR, they let the railroad fall apart, collected money but did no maintenance. Now no railroad.
Their is a bridge between San Jose and Quepos, both major cities, one lane, rusted has not been painted in years, planks are missing, looks like an abandoned bridge.
I did not see that in Panama nor Nicaragua.

[freshwest]

7. I think some folks think that is the way to go. Just sayin. And that kind of life is not for me.

What of the universal health care that CR is said to have? That might be a bit of a myth. Don't have any problems with them doing things the way the people want - if they do, that is. Sounds like an old time oligarchy. If you're not born into the right family, well tough stuff, deal with it. Not much incentive to make any innovations there, or so it would appear. The tourists and guys like Gibson and Limbaugh think it's cool. AFAIK, not much going on there. Kind of like Somalia, all nature, maybe religion running everyone's lives. It has very good PR.

[carla]

5. The Environment Ministry said the animals would be released into the wild or sent to rescue centers.

MINEA/MINAET (the environment ministry) has a poor record at re-introductions, the zoos have taken in animals that came from rescue centers in some cases, and the move to ship the animals to rescue centers is a non-starter as the centers lack means, infrastructure and expertise to maintain the animals (this amounts to a form of privatization/neoliberalism). Setting them free is only possible because of the new law against sport hunting of land animals. But re-introductions are tricky and can end in the death of the very animal one seeks to free. I understand the motivation, but application is not well managed in a country where needs far exceed resources. Pura Vida! At least we are having these conversations about "the natural" in CR, and we are trying to redress the balance between humans and everything else. Peace to all who are trying.