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A line of people in front of the Basel Zoo – a picture that has not been seen since December 22. Because of Corona, the federal government has closed all zoological gardens to the public. Director Olivier Pagan is happy that there are finally people in his zoo: “The first subscribers arrived this morning at exactly 8 o’clock and I was able to personally greet them and wish them a good visit. Of course it feels great after these 71 days that we were closed. “
Zolli director Olivier Pangan speaks in an interview about the reopening. (Video: Telebasel)
Lack of understanding about closed animal houses.
You can tell that people, and especially children, missed visits to their favorite animals. Just a few hours after opening, the parking lot fills to the last spot. This also surprised the zoo director, Olivier Pagan. Not all parts are open. All indoor facilities are closed due to the crown. A decision that Pagan cannot understand. “We have houses that have a large air space, I am thinking of the house of the elephants, the house of the monkeys, in which it would be very possible to keep our hygiene measures, which are required by the concept of protection.”
Since the animal houses must remain closed, visitors receive a 30 percent discount on tickets for the entire day. Capacity restrictions mean that 1,800 people are currently allowed to stay at the zoo at the same time. On busy days such as weekends and holidays, visitors are counted at the entrance and there may be wait times.
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1/5 Since Monday, Basel Zolli has been able to open its doors to visitors again, and they come in droves. (Image: Telebasel)
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2/5 At the Zolli, more visitors were expected. But not so many were expected, according to director Olivier Pagan. (Image: Telebasel)
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3/5 With the high number of visitors, good weather certainly plays an important role. (Image: Telebasel)
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4/5 The animals are also happy with the return of the company, as explained by the director of Zolli. (Image: Telebasel)
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5/5 And the residents of Zolli also enjoy the glorious spring weather. (Image: Telebasel)
“It was about time we opened again”
Reopening also means money will be poured back into the register. The closure cost the zoo between 1.8 million and 2 million francs a month, Pagan explains. “We have to take care of our animals and we cannot send them to the central office, which means that a considerable part of the employees are here. It was about time we opened again. “He is not worried about finances. Basel Zoo was careful with its resources and can count on many donors.
However, the Zolli had to borrow money from the federal government and the canton, reports the “bz”. Media spokeswoman Tanja Dietrich confirmed to the newspaper that they had already received 750,000 francs. Therefore, Zolli has obtained the maximum contribution due per company from the Basel-Stadt emergency fund.
