Accra Zoo Reopened After Months Of Closure

Accra Zoo Reopened After Months Of Closure

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor on Friday, 9 December 2022 reopened the Accra Zoo to the general public after several months of closure.

He urged all Ghanaians and the diaspora to patronise the zoo even as the festive season approaches.

“As we approach the festive season, I want to encourage all of us, both Ghanaians and foreigners alike and particularly our dear students to patronise and interact with nature. The Accra Zoo, I can assure you is safe and you are all warmly welcome to visit,” he said.

After a intruder was attacked by the lions, the minister ordered the zoo’s closure in August. Renovations were being done before this terrible tragedy to increase security, add facilities to ensure visitor comfort, and make the zoo more engaging and entertaining.

Accra Zoo Reopened After Months Of Closure

Speaking at the reopening ceremony, the minister emphasized the significance of zoos and ecotourism in general to the socio-economic development of the nation. He emphasized that these industries provide an effective financial incentive for conservation and the protection of the ecosystem and biodiversity, while also generating jobs and income to support the national economy.

He served as an example of how zoos and ecotourism in Africa have significantly boosted the economies of nations like Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Rwanda, and Zambia and hoped that Ghana’s Zoo will also place the country on such heights.

Therefore, he pointed out, zoos are essential to the preservation of terrestrial life and ecosystems, which Ghana is obligated to safeguard and conserve under Sustainable Development Goal 15.

The sector minister said that because of the many benefits, the government is taking strategic steps to promote zoos and eco-tourism in the nation. She added that plans are well underway to raise the three regional zoos in Accra, Tamale, and Takoradi to international standards and eventually open zoos in all 16 of the country’s regions.

Assuring the zoo’s security, Jinapor used the occasion to invite the corporate sector to work with the government on an ambitious plan to increase public access to zoos and promote ecotourism.

He gave the CEO of the Forestry Commission, the employees of the Forestry Commission, and his deputy for Lands and Forestry the highest praise for their diligent efforts in assuring good leadership and guidance in the management of the nation’s forest and wildlife resources.

Accra Zoo Reopened After Months Of Closure

In his welcome address, John Allotey, the chief executive of the Forestry Commission, highlighted some recent improvements made to the zoo. He mentioned that the facility now has a new visitors’ lounge with benches, streetlights, access points, camera traps installed at the lions’ den, bold signs with clear instructions, wider and higher cages, and two iron gates built to increase security.

In order to stop similar sad incidents in the future, he noted that security checkpoints have been installed adjacent to the lions’ enclosure for continuous surveillance.

The CEO also disclosed that the Zoo has a Bat Research Center, established to study bat diseases and behavior and the only captive bat breeding population and research Center in the world.

The Accra Zoo has a total of 108 animals made up of monkeys, Antelopes, Birds, Crocodiles, Snakes, Lions, porcupines, Ostrich, Geese, among others with an average visitation of 32,000 annually.

Accra Zoo Reopened After Months Of Closure

The Accra Zoo continues to draw thousands of visitors, the majority of whom are students from various grade levels. It has amused and educated thousands of Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians about some of the tropical creatures here in Ghana. Somewhere deep within the Achimota jungle is where you’ll find the Accra Zoo. The Achimota Forest borders Dzorwulu to the west, Abofu to the east, and Abelemkpe to the south and is relatively close to the Achimota School.

You must find the main entrance, which is located right across from the Achimota Branch of the Forestry Commission, in order to enter the Achimota Zoo. There are numerous cab drivers and women selling sweets and beverages waiting for customers to use their services. Before entering the forest, visitors can purchase tickets at a tiny office of the Forestry Commission. These tickets can be used to access any area of the forest for any permitted activity.

The main gate of the woodland is located approximately 5 minutes’ driving and 30 minutes’ walk from the Accra Zoo. The path leading into the forest is less than ideal; it is very uneven and sandy, yet it leads directly to where the zoo is. There are no gates; it is a clearing in the middle of a forest, with plenty of cages and some geese and ducks wandering around freely and filling the air with their quacks. Let’s look at the zoo’s history before we get into the specifics of what it houses.