Dubai Zoo: No room for new inmates

The Dubai Zoo has stopped taking in new animals from the public even as officials unveiled plans to relocate the tiny zoo following a feasibility study, XPRESS has learnt. A notice on the zoo's façade states: "Dubai zoo will not receive any animal from the members of the public until further notice." It was not immediately clear when the announcement was posted. The zoo's transfer has been in limbo for many years. Plans to move the Dubai Zoo out of a 50 metre x 300 metre strip next to a residential area and haute couture shops on Jumeirah Beach Road have been stalled at least thrice in the last 10 years. Article continues below There are nearly 1,400 animals within the tiny zoo - including giraffes and big cats. On Sunday, the Dubai Municipality fanned hopes by announcing a much bigger zoo will take shape soon. Dr Al Sayed Ahmad Mohammad, regional director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for Middle East and North Africa, said: "We do hope the new zoo will be completed and the animals will be moved to a bigger space as soon as possible." Japanese tourist Ito, who visited the park with her three children earlier their week, said: "I can cover the zoo within 20 minutes, but I pity the big cats because of their small cage," she said.