Three months on from flood: Tbilisi Zoo reopens
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Exactly three months on from the flood that destroyed Tbilisi Zoo, the animal park has reopened today.
The opening was marked with a photo exhibition of images taken over the past few months, showing workers and volunteers carrying out immense rehabilitation works to reopen the park for visitors.
The destroyed lower area of the Zoo remained off limits however the upper section of the park was reopened and operated as normal.
"Several new animals have already been born in the Zoo since the tragedy, meaning life goes on,” said Tbilisi Zoo director Zurab Gurielidze.
"We are waiting for our guests and we hope the Zoo will be a place everyone will enjoy, as it was before.”
One positive thing to emerge from the disaster was that the reopened Tbilisi Zoo will soon be home to several new animals that will be sent here from abroad.
The deadly flood that struck Georgia’s capital Tbilisi on June 13 turned out to be the city’s worst human and infrastructural disaster in years.
Nineteen people lost their lives in the disaster and several still remain missing.
The flash flood ripped through Tbilisi Zoo and swamped many of the lower enclosures, causing many dozens of animals to either drown or be swamped by debris in their cages. The entire lower portion of the Zoo was destroyed, as were several nearby residences.
The monkeys' cages remain empty as Tbilisi Zoo lost all its monkeys during the June 13 flash flood. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Despite losing half their animals, Tbilisi Zoo was resilient in the face of disaster. Those that survived the flood included 16 carnivores, 469 fish, 144 birds, 129 ungulates, 98 reptiles and seven primates.
Looking ahead, in three years’ time a new zoo will open in another area of Tbilisi. Once operating it will be one of the biggest zoos in Europe.
The new zoo will be built on a piece of land spanning 48 hectares – six times bigger than the central city location - near Tbilisi Sea. Until then visitors can visit the flood survivors at the old location near Heroes Square.
Almost six days has passed since Tbilisi Zoo was hit by a flash flood, causing the death of hundreds of animals and leaving the animal park in a state of complete chaos.
Tbilisi Zoo is enjoying its first good news since the June 13 devastating flash flood, which killed 19 people and dozens of animals and destroyed much of the Zoo territory and nearby residences.
A disaster is unfolding in Georgia's capital Tbilisi. Heavy rain is causing major damage in Tbilisi's Vake-Saburtalo district. Roads have been swamped, cars have been washed away and houses have been severely flooded. Several animals have also escaped from Tbilisi Zoo.
One positive thing to emerge from the disaster is when Tbilisi Zoo reopens it will be home to several new monkeys, who will be sent here from abroad. Other animals will also join Tbilisi Zoo as soon as new, open-air cages are constructed on the Zoo’s territory.
In three years’ time a new zoo is going to open in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi and once operating it will be one of the biggest zoos in Europe.
All of the tigers and monkeys that called Tbilisi Zoo home perished in the June 13 flash flood, revealed a list of surviving Zoo animals.
Tbilisi residents are uniting around the idea of bringing the post-flood central city Mziuri Park back to life.
Georgia has warmly welcomed a present from Riga Zoo - a camel, yak, alpacas and parrots – which were all welcomed to their new home at Tbilisi Zoo last night.
Austrian experts arrived in Georgia today to study the risk of future flooding in capital Tbilisi – 10 months on from the deadly flood that ravaged Tbilisi and left hundreds homeless.
Today marks exactly one year since Georgia’s capital Tbilisi was hit by a deadly flash flood, which turned out to be the city’s worst human and infrastructural disaster in years. Twenty-one people lost their lives in the flood on the evening of June 13, 2015. The bodies of two of these victims have still not been found.
Tbilisi Zoo is now home to a new group of South African penguins donated by twin-city Bristol, UK, as the Georgian capital’s zoo continues its restoration after the flood of 2015.