Cuba’s National Zoo Closes Due to Fuel Shortage

MIAMI, United States. – Cuba’s National Zoological Park closed its doors “until further notice due to the fuel situation,” according to information published on the institution’s Facebook page.

This is the second time in less than a year that the Zoological Park reports problems due to fuel shortages. In August 2022, the institution, which is located in Havana, cut down the frequency of its safaris due to fuel shortages.

“Due to the present fuel shortage in Cuba, our safari service in eh Zoo is being affected negatively, which brings us to taking this measure. Safaris will take place only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. We apologize for an inconvenience that this may cause you,” announced the Zoo on Facebook on August 15, 2022.

A fuel shortage is not the only problem affecting the zoological parks in Havana. On February 7^th, the Ministry of Agriculture’s National Center of Animal Health (CENASA, by its Spanish acronym) notified about the closing of the Zoo in Havana (best known as the Zoo on 26^th) due to an outbreak of bird flu.

The state institution informed that the virus had been detected in wild bird in the facility, which is located in the Plaza de la Revolución municipality.

At that time, CENASA also indicated that “all corresponding sanitary measures had been taken to contain the outbreak, like enforcing a quarantine and temporary closing of the Zoological Park.”

Shortly after, in March, Cuban health authorities gave assurances that the Zoo on 26^th no longer had cases of the bird flu. CENASA officials inspected the premises and indicated that the epidemiological situation at the Zoo remained “under control”.

A Ministry of Agriculture facts report stated that the government continues to implement steps toward the Zoo’s recovery that once those were complete, it would allow the Ministry to end the campaign of health control at the Zoo. However, no date for reopening the park has been revealed.

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