Costa Rica has taken a definitive step towards supporting animals being kept in zoos in the country, becoming the first nation in the wold to implement a plan to completely close down all of its zoos currently in operation.
The Costa Rican government's decision has also stated that all animals living in the zoos are set to live in a "more natural habitat." Apart from this, the government has also fully banned "sport" hunting, according to Mint Press News.
"We are getting rid of the cages and reinforcing the idea of interacting with biodiversity in botanical parks in a natural way. We don't want animals in captivity or enclosed in any way unless it is to rescue or save them," Costa Rican Environment Minister René Castro stated at a press conference when the government made the initial plan public.
The two pre-existing zoos in Costa Rica are being planned to be radically reinvented, with the Simón Bolívar Zoo Conservation Center set to be turned in to a botanical garden and educational system and the Conservation Center of Santa Ana set to be turned into a 51-hectare forest, reported Collective Evolution.
However, Fundazoo, the company that has overseen the zoos in Costa Rica for 19 years, has filed an appeal to get its contract renewed for the next 10 years. Due to the company's appeal, the zoos may need to remain open until at least 2024.
The Costa Rican government, however, has already filed yet another appeal in order to pass new regulations about animal captivity in state-owned institutions.
The tropical nation is among the most bio-diverse locations on the planet, with four percent of the Earth's species existing in the country. Over 25 percent of the land has already been set for protection to provide ample and sustainable habitats for the 500,000 species living in the country.
Check out more news about Costa Rica and the animals in the country here.
