Kabul Zoo was inaugurated in 1967 with a focus on Afghan
fauna, being very popular with visitors and
press. The zoo once had more than 500
animals, with about 150,000 visitors coming to see them in 1972.[3]
The zoo suffered significant damage during the
1990s civil war; the aquarium was damaged by
shelling, and combatants took the deer and rabbits for food.[4] An elephant, 25-year-old Hathi, was killed when a rocket hit the zoo. Some exotic animals like rare species of birds, were smuggled out and sold in the
black market.[5] The
Taliban, who took control of Kabul in 1996, initially thought the zoo was incompatible with their version of Islam, but kept it open after the zookeeper Sheraq Omar said research at
Kabul University showed that
Muhammad kept pets.[6]
The most famous resident of the zoo was
Marjan the Lion, who died in 2002 and is buried there. A bronze statue of Marjan stands at the zoo's entrance.
The zoo once had about 500 animals, including 45 species of
birds and
mammals, and 36
species of
fish.[7] Among the animals were two lions and
Afghanistan's only pig. As many as 10,000 people visit during the weekends.[4] The zoo employed a staff of 60 to care for the animals as of 2003[update]. It is one of the popular places in Kabul for locals and visitors.
The zoo generated 15 million
afghanis ($268,000) in revenue in 2012,[8] which increased to 33 million in 2020.[1]
In April 2017, the zoo took four of the
white lions that were saved from a smuggling attempt.[9][10] It has been reported that the zoo will be expanded in the future from its current 17.5 acres of land to 71 acres.[11]
Donations and assistance
The
Chinese government, a primary donor of animals, has expressed concerns about the safety of the animals it has already donated to Afghanistan. In 2004 – 2005, one male bear and one deer died, apparently from diseases and improper nutrition. Chinese authorities say they will not donate any more animals to Kabul until conditions improve.[12]
The
North Carolina Zoo in the
United States has funded and supervised many projects at the zoo, including improvements to housing of the animals, such as climbing structures and standoff barriers, with additional help in creating a
business plan for the zoo.[13] Director David Jones tried to help send Kabul Zoo staff to
India, for training.[7]
London Zoo in the
United Kingdom shared its expertise with Kabul Zoo Director Aziz Gul during a visit to London in January 2019.[14]