GIZA - “We want to stop cruelty against animals and apply the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species [CITES].” This is what a number of Egyptian and foreign activists have been calling for on Facebook. They also held a peaceful protest outside the Central Administration of Giza Zoo. CITES, a convention established in 1973, regulates or prohibits the international trade of plant and animal species that are believed to be harmed by or may be harmed by such trade. The demonstration came in the wake of alleged violations at Giza Zoo and some tourist villages. Karl Ammann, a Swiss activist working in the field of wildlife protection, said that Egypt was a centre for the illegal trade in wildlife, especially as some tourist villages do not apply CITES. He recently told the semi-official newspaper Al-Ahram that he provided the Water Services Police and Environmental Affairs Authority with the identities of some of the violators, but regrettably they've been able to escape. According to Sarah Fathi, a tourist guide, the miserable conditions the animals are kept in anger many tourists, especially in certain tourist villages, where some Egyptians abuse pets to make money. Dina Zulfikar, an activist and member of the Egyptian Association of Animal Friends, told the same publication that illegal trading in plants and animals could lead to their extinction. “It is logical that the administrator responsible for applying CITES also chairs the Central Administration of Giza Zoo,” she added. The Central Administration of Giza Zoo is responsible for purchasing, breeding and displaying wild animals, as well as offering them for sale. “So how can the person responsible for protecting wildlife be the same person who makes a profit out of selling the animals?” she said. According to her, many people have been complaining on Facebook about the deteriorating conditions for animals, which is having a bad impact on tourism. “Animals and pets are often kept in unsuitable and unhygienic places, while lacking clean drinking water,” she complains. According to an official Internet statement from Al Ayin Zoo in the United Arab Emirates, Giza Zoo has bought new animals such as orangutans and chimpanzees, but hasn't given them a proper place to live in. Although Giza Zoo recently joined the African Zoo Organisation, it violates the latter's rules, say animal rights advocates.
