The Mulsay Zoo, long forgotten by the people and authorities of Mérida

Residents of western Mérida are sad to see the poor conditions of the zoo located on Colonia Mulsay, which is one of the three Zoos in the city and which administration depends on the municipal government.

“It is a problem that must be addressed and solved, especially for the issue of animal cruelty and protection,” expressed one of the visitors during the tour of the facilities of this zoo, which still houses several species of birds such as peacocks and macaws, different reptiles such as snakes and crocodiles, and also some felines, including Ocelote and Tigrillo.

María Chan Poot, resident of Mulsay, remembers nostalgically how entire families, children and young people from all over Mérida used to come to see the animals and have fun at this recreational park, where there was a library, a house of mirrors and a train, but all these features were lost through time, due to lack of maintenance.

In addition to the small number of animals, the ones that remain in the zoo live in poor and inappropriate conditions; the cages are rusty and the pavement broken, the crocodile pond looks uninhabitable even for these reptiles. The place has been forgotten by the meridanos, and most of them are not even aware of its existence.

The residents expressed that not only the animals pay the consequences of these deficiencies in the maintenance service, but also the residents themselves, who used to have cultural, educational and recreational activities at the park, but not anymore.

Mr. Armando Zapata Maya, who lives in Mulsay since the year 1980, recalls how the zoo opened its doors as a place for family recreation and how through several municipal administrations it has been being left in total neglect.

“It is urgent to rescue this space and the neighborhood in general,” Zapata Maya said.

TYT newsroom with information from SIPSE