The issue of construction of a new Zoo in Dushanbe is still under consideration, Dushanbe Chief Architect Sami Aziziyon told reporters in Dushanbe on February 16.
According to him, they have invited domestic entrepreneurs to participate in construction of the new Zoo in Dushanbe, “but no one has responded so far, so the construction time frame and the source of financing for the project are unknown.”
“This is not a one day issue and it takes time to resolve it,” the architect said.
Recall, Dushanbe authorities invited local and foreign investors to participate in construction of the new Zoo in the Tajik capital in 2021.
It is to be noted that the new site for the Dushanbe Zoo has not yet been chosen. The Dushanbe Administration made a decision to move the Dushanbe Zoo several years ago.
In 2018, it was supposed to be built the new Zoo on the site of the Korvon market, but then in 2020, it was decided to build it on the northern outskirts of Tajik capital, on the Varzob River bank.
The design of a new Dushanbe Zoo that had been developed by Moscow planners and they took into consideration modern requirements for keeping animals while developing the design. The design was presented in Dushanbe in December 2020.
A total area of the new Dushanbe Zoo, which is designed to keep 1,500 animals, is supposed to be 13 hectares.
Dushanbe Zoo will turned 63 years old on April 30, 2024. Over the past nearly 60 years, the zoo has been dilapidated but has never been repaired or rehabilitated.
More than 25 animals died in Dushanbe Zoo in 2019 alone. Moreover, the terrarium burned down, and all animals that were there reportedly burned alive with it.
In total, 985 animals of 135 species have reportedly been kept in the Dushanbe Zoo as of early 2020. 50 people have worked for the Dushanbe Zoo, and only 32 of them are specialists.
Founded in 1961, the zoo is located in the center of the city on the Luchob River bank (on Ismoili Somoni Avenue). By 1974, with 1059 animals of 254 species, Dushanbe Zoo was regarded as one of the best zoos in the Soviet Union. Until the breakdown of the Soviet Union and independence in 1991, the zoo was considered one of the best sightseeing attractions in Dushanbe. The number of animals was great and diverse. National independence in 1991, followed by a civil war lasting until 1997, posed a great threat to the zoo in terms of the loss of species and economic hardship. Public financing was no longer available to the extent it was before.
Dushanbe Zoo has been member of the Eurasian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 2007.
