“The Poor Animals”: Unexpected Scenes at Pretoria Zoo Disturb South Africans

• A young woman who went to Pretoria Zoo shared a TikTok video of how packed the place was as a result of the facility offering free entrance to all
• The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) allowed free access as part of National Gardens Week
• Many social media users were disappointed in how the zoo visitors treated the place and expressed themselves in the comment section

National Zoological Garden, better known as Pretoria Zoo, attracts many people with the beautiful creatures it houses. However, the sweet deal the zoo offered and how locals treated the facility had many South Africans up in arms.

Scenes at Pretoria Zoo

Known to be the largest zoo in the country, a TikTokker named Treasure recently noted on her account that the facility had provided free entrance, which saw many people packing up the place.

According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), people were allowed free access to all national botanical and zoological gardens for National Gardens Week, which ran from 10 to 16 March.

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From the scenes in the TikTok video, it seemed the visitors set up picnics, braaied, sang and danced, and overfilled the dirt bins to the point where some trash was strewn on the ground.

Pretoria Zoo sits on a massive 85-hectare space and has been hailed for conservation and animal education in Mzansi. Over the years, it’s drawn around 600,000 visitors a year, giving people a chance to see a wide variety of animals.

Watch the TikTok video below:

State at Pretoria Zoo angers SA

Thousands of local members of the online community were stunned to see what the zoo looked like as the visitors packed the area. Many app users were disappointed in the litter lying on the ground, with some taking to the comment section to express their shock.

@misskhanyisile_ asked the public:

"Am I the only one that gets mad when I see people littering?"

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@mrsbanks192 felt sorry for the inhabitants of the zoo, writing:

"The poor animals."

An upset @susssibaka._ stated in the comments:

"Then people blame the government, yet we can’t clean up after ourselves. This is why we can’t have nice things!"

@yolandebender1 shared their take on the situation:

"So much litter! We can't even respect a space when offered a free pass. No picnic baskets or food and drinks should be allowed inside. They should buy food at restaurants in the facility to reduce litter."

@vetplantlovernic said to past and future visitors:

"Guys, just respect the grounds. Don’t litter. Enjoy yourself without disrespecting the cleaners who have to clean up after you. Ai."

A startled @xolim_.99 added in the comment section:

"What happened? That zoo was so beautiful back in my childhood days. I still have fond memories as a child. I was around eight years old when I visited, and it was beautiful."

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@sorhaya.k wrote to the online community:

"At this rate, the animals are watching us."

Highly rated travel site

The National Zoological Garden of South Africa is the country’s biggest zoo and the only one with national status. It has about 6km of walkways to explore.

World Atlas even ranked Pretoria Zoo among the top 25 zoos in the world, putting it in the same league as New York’s famous Bronx Zoo.

The zoo's focus isn't on land animals only, it also has an Aquarium and Reptile Park with the largest inland marine aquarium in South Africa. If you love nature, it boasts the third-largest collection of exotic trees in the world.

3 Other stories about zoos

• In another article, Briefly News reported about a zoo visitor in China who was furious and demanded their money back after seeing fake pandas in an enclosure.
• Internet users were upset with a cameraman's poor videography skills when he ran away in fear after a lion charged at children at a zoo.
• Last year, Johannesburg Zoo's R20 entrance fee drew in a huge crowd excited to see the animals. The video sparked a debate about what people would do to capitalise on a deal.

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Hilary Sekgota, human interest head of desk at Briefly News, contributed to this article.

Source: Briefly News