By Nangamso Mabindla
6 February 2008

RENOVATIONS at the East London Zoo are coming along, and some projects are set to be completed before the Easter holidays, says curator Nico Roux.

In 2007, the zoo, which has about a 100 000 visitors annually, received R1,3-million from the municipality to improve its facilities for the benefit of both the animals it kept and its visitors.

As soon as the money was available Roux and his team got to work, inviting companies to tender to undertake the renovations.

"One of the things we wanted to do was to build an aviary next to the giraffe camp where people could walk and view different types of birds. The contractors started working on it and we wanted to have it ready by December, but things did not turn out that way. However, we are planning on having it ready by the Easter holidays," Roux explains.

The builders contracted to build the aviary did not finish the job. "They just upped and left and the structure was not complete. But fortunately we did not lose money because we only paid them about 40 percent … So we will have new contractors to complete [it]."

Work on the white lions' cage is finished and the lions are expected to return by next week. A new feature for youngsters is the jungle gym.

"This is very popular with children; when they play on it they have so much fun. And next to it is another kiosk, built using the money we received last year."

To curb vandalism and theft thought, a new palisade fence has also been erected around the zoo.

Talking about plans for the duck pond, Roux says that an infiltration system is on the cards. "At the moment the water here is stationary; this means that when it rains heavily, the pond overflows. We want to have an infiltration system so that we have a constant flow of water to the pond. This will curb overflowing when it rains."

Roux explains that all the small alterations and additions fit into the R280-million Master Plan for the Zoo. It aims to transform the 20-year-old zoo from an area in which animals are kept, to a place of conservation, learning, motivation, enjoyment, relaxation and wonderment.