The Kabul Zoo () is located in
Kabul
Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, on the bank of the
Kabul River and adjacent to the
Deh Mazang Circle. It is next to City Park and nearby the
Gardens of Babur and
Kabul University. Visited by around a million people annually, the
zoo has been one of the popular
tourist attractions in the city.
Its director is Aziz Gul Saqeb.
History
Kabul Zoo was inaugurated in 1967 with a focus on Afghan
fauna
Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...
, being very popular with visitors and
press. The zoo once had more than 500
animal
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...
s, with about 150,000 visitors coming to see them in 1972.
The zoo suffered significant damage during the
1990s civil war; the aquarium was damaged by
shelling, and combatants took the deer and rabbits for food.
An elephant, 25-year-old Hathi, was killed when a rocket hit the zoo. Some exotic animals like rare species of birds, were smuggled out and sold in the
black market
A black market is a Secrecy, clandestine Market (economics), market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality, or is not compliant with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the set of goods and services who ...
. The
Taliban
, leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders
, leader1_name = {{indented plainlist,
* Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013)
* Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016)
* Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
, who took control of Kabul in 1996, initially thought the zoo was incompatible with their version of Islam, but kept it open after the zookeeper Sheraq Omar said research at
Kabul University showed that
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
kept pets.
The most famous resident of the zoo was
Marjan the Lion, who died in 2002 and is buried there. A bronze statue of Marjan stands at the zoo's entrance.
The zoo once had about 500 animals, including 45 species of
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
s and
mammal
A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...
s, and 36
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
fish
A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
.
Among the animals were two lions and
Afghanistan's only pig. As many as 10,000 people visit during the weekends.
The zoo employed a staff of 60 to care for the animals . It is one of the popular places in Kabul for locals and visitors.
The zoo generated 15 million
afghanis ($268,000) in revenue in 2012, which increased to 33 million in 2020.
In April 2017, the zoo took four of the
white lion
White Lion is an American glam metal band that was formed in New York City in 1983 by Danish vocalist Mike Tramp and American guitarist Vito Bratta. Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, they released their debut album ''Fight to Survive ...
s that were saved from a smuggling attempt. It has been reported that the zoo will be expanded in the future from its current of land to .
Donations and assistance
* The
Chinese government, a primary donor of animals, has expressed concerns about the safety of the animals it has already donated to Afghanistan. In 2004 – 2005, one male bear and one deer died, apparently from diseases and improper nutrition. Chinese authorities say they will not donate any more animals to Kabul until conditions improve.
* The
North Carolina Zoo in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
has funded and supervised many projects at the zoo, including improvements to housing of the animals, such as climbing structures and standoff barriers, with additional help in creating a
business plan
A business plan is a formal written document containing the goals of a business, the methods for attaining those goals, and the time-frame for the achievement of the goals. It also describes the nature of the business, background information on ...
for the zoo.
Director David Jones tried to help send Kabul Zoo staff to
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, for training.
*
London Zoo in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
shared its expertise with Kabul Zoo Director Aziz Gul during a visit to London in January 2019.
See also
*
Tourism in Afghanistan
*
Wildlife of Afghanistan
References
External links
* (
RTA Pashto, Nov. 28, 2023)
* (Sept. 18, 2023)
* (May 28, 2023)
{{authority control
Kabul
Zoos in Afghanistan
Zoos established in 1967
1967 establishments in Afghanistan