The restoration of the Tirana Zoo began in the summer of 2020. Construction work was supposed to finish last summer, at least according to a billboard at the construction site.
Erion Veliaj pledged to renovate Tirana Zoo from his first mandate however, it actually took some time for the project to see the light of day.
Initially, it was announced that the project would start in 2018, but then it got postponed for another 2 years.
Veliaj failed to keep his promise in opening Tirana Zoo on June 1, which falls on Children’s Day.
Çdo 1 Qershor 👧🏼 kemi një surprizë për fëmijët e mrekullueshëm të qytetit. Kësaj here, surpriza për ta është “Kopshti i ri Zoologjik” 🦍🌴🐻🐒 – një hapësirë që po transformohet, për t’u kthyer në xhevahirin e radhës në Tiranë. 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/qNVXf5ZLGk
— Erion Veliaj #EYC2022 🇪🇺🇦🇱 (@erionveliaj) April 18, 2021
Euronews Albania reached out to Tirana City Hall to ask when will the city have its zoopark back, but received no response.
“This delay seems like an excuse”, says a citizen.
“We are optimistic and hope that all goes well so that the investment there, paid for by us as taxpayers, is fruitful”, said another citizen.
Tirana Zoopark is the only public zoo in Albania and it was built in the 60s.
The zoo was the home of several animals, including, lions, bears, llamas, wolves, foxes, and various birds.
However, animal rights groups have constantly appealed to authorities to shut down the zoo due to the squalid conditions in which the animals lived.
The new project aimed to transform the small confined cages where the animals were being kept into a larger park.
