MANILA, Philippines — Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said he would like to partner with the Cebu Safari and Adventure Park to provide animals for Manila Zoo, which is undergoing rehabilitation.
The presidential aspirant struck the deal with Cebu park management after a visit there Sunday, according to a statement released by Moreno’s camp.
Moreno lauded the amusement park’s capability to breed animals.
“Their animals are welcome in Manila. We are willing to receive some donations,” Moreno said during the visit.
In 2019, then Manila mayor Joseph Estrada ordered Manila Zoo to temporarily shut down after Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu tagged the zoo’s sewage as a major pollutant of Manila Bay due to its lack of a sewage treatment plant.
When Moreno became mayor, city hall allotted P1.7 billion to rehabilitate the 60-year-old zoo and make it more habitable to animals. The zoo is set to reopen in February 2022.
Manila Zoo has been the home for 40 years of the elephant Mali, whose release from the zoo was called for by several animal rights groups due to her poor living conditions in a concrete enclosure.