DOE Warns Saei Park Over Zoo Conditions

Saei Park management has been warned to raise the standards of its zoo facilities and apply for a permit or risk prosecution.

Speaking to ISNA, Mohammad Reza Bazgir, the head of Tehran’s office of the Department of Environment, said of the three unlicensed zoos in the Iranian capital, only one has failed to heed the DOE’s warnings.

“The management of Mellat and Chitgar parks have taken steps to raise their standards and are in the process of acquiring permits to operate their animal facilities, but Saei Park has not taken a single step,” Bazgir was quoted as saying by the news agency.

“If they don’t bolster their standards and apply for a permit, we’ll have no choice but to list Saei Park as an illegal zoo and deal with them through legal channels.”

Currently, Tehran has 12 wildlife centers.

DOE has instructed all animal reserves to adhere to standards pertaining to the animals’ nutrition and care, in addition to their cage condition.  Wildlife facilities must submit regular reports about the species, numbers, addition and removal of any animal as well as their births and mortalities.

In spite of all the shortcomings—not least of which is the inadequate budget—the department makes efforts to ensure the regular monitoring of facilities, which is supposed to be carried out every three months by provincial offices and reported annually  to the central office in Tehran.

Creating a technical supervisory committee with a permanent secretariat, holding regular meetings, formulating guidelines for the launch and management of animal reserves, participating in international environment expos and holding specialized meetings to review the guidelines are among measures taken by DOE to improve the conditions of captive animals.