Saudi Gazette report
JEDDAH — The Jeddah Mayoralty has plans to establish a new zoo in the Jeddah governorate in the near future, Al-Watan newspaper reported. The mayoralty’s move is in response to the long-sought after demand of the Jeddah residents.
Since several years, the people of Jeddah have been waiting for the opening of a new zoo after the closure of a famous zoo in 2007. The Beautiful Creatures Zoo, spreading over on an area of 16,000 square meters, was a privately owned animal park. It was located west of the ring road at the end of Tahlia Road in Al-Rehab district.
The zoo was closed due to several reasons. The major reason was that the zoo’s location was within the properties expropriated for the construction of the Haramain High Speed Train Project.
The reasons also included complaints from neighborhood residents due to the zoo’s location in the residential area. The residents complained about the emission of unpleasant odors, and the spread of mosquitoes that transmit dengue fever from the stagnant water in ponds for animals due to the lack of proper maintenance and cleaning.
Jungle Land Theme Park is one of the famous animal parks in the region. But the Jeddah residents say that the park is far away from the city center and difficult for them to undertake family trips, especially during the weekend.
Opened in 1999, Jungle Land Theme Park is Jeddah’s most popular amusement destination. It is located in Mersal Village on Osfan Road, 32 km from the Jeddah city center. The park contains 1,000 species of wild animals and 200 species of rare birds. It is one of the largest adventure amusement parks in Saudi Arabia, with a total area of 104,413 square meters. The park can welcome up to 15,000 people at a time