Activists say not enough has been made public about controversial plans for the outdated attraction.
By Wael Hussein and Yolande KnellA delighted Egyptian girl tosses a handful of fish to the hungry sea lions after her father discreetly hands a few coins to a keeper at Giza Zoo.
"My kids love the zoo. We come here on weekends and holidays," says Ahmed Ibrahim, a father of four, sitting on a small rug with his family by the pelican pond.The factory worker, who is paid just under $100 a month, has little money to spare for leisure activities and fears the zoo will now become unaffordable. Like millions of Egyptians, he has been hit by skyrocketing prices and the latest currency devaluation.
However, animal rights advocates are worried. They complain that the plans for the zoo lack transparency and do not prioritise the welfare of the animals kept there, which include some endangered species. It had exotic plants and rare animals as well as prized architectural features, such as a mini suspension bridge by Gustave Eiffel, designed a decade before the construction of his famous Eiffel Tower.