Zoo consultant slams agriculture ministry over $56m 'upgrade'

THE Emperor Valley Zoo says it was not properly consulted on the $56 million upgrade to the facility by the Agriculture Ministry.

It agrees with outraged members of the public that there is no need for a cinema and bar, among other things, at the zoo, when many of the animals’ enclosures are in dire need of upgrades.

Proposed upgrades to the facility – all for visitors, not the animals – were first announced in 2019. These include a cinema/theatre, ice cream parlour, cutters bar, restaurant, exhibition centre, conference/meeting rooms, offices, an information centre, shops, kiosks, an amphitheatre and a play area for children.

In May, Newsday broke the story that the budget for the expansion project is $56 million excluding VAT. The exact figure provided by the Urban Development Corporation's (Udecott) corporate communications department was $56,265,878.14. Udecott is the contractor for the project, set to be completed by 2025.

The corporation said the building will have two stories, with each floor having an area of 8,550 square feet.

It added that the discovery building will be designed in the shape of a butterfly.

Construction is ongoing and the building is north of the Queen's Park Savannah and west of the Royal Botanic Gardens.

A multi-storey car park will also be built.

Many people have since questioned the expansion, saying a lot of the additional features are unnecessary. An online petition to halt the project has more than 30,000 signatures.

On Udecott's website, it says this was phase four of the zoo’s expansion, adding that phases one-three were done through the now-dissolved Tourism Development Corporation.

The zoo's website – built in 2009 – has not been updated since 2016. None of the tabs on the website works. They include sections like About Us, Education, Conservation, Volunteer Program (sic) and Contact Information.

'We never asked for those things'

Zoo consultant John Seyjagat told Newsday that around 2003, the zoo contacted an engineering company and architectural team from the US, which did a master plan for the expansion.

“It had phases. So phase one was the flamingo enclosures, two was the South American component, three was the African exhibit, four was other birds and small mammals, and five was an education centre.”

Recalling that the zoo was previously under the Tourism Ministry, he said the plan was handed over to that ministry and got approval.

“When the zoo was transferred to the Agriculture Ministry, that ministry said, ‘Well, listen. What you need to do is the most expensive part of the upgrades first, and then you can focus on the others.’”

The zoo was told the education centre would be a revenue-driver, and that money could then be used to upgrade the animals’ enclosures.

“Our idea was that the education centre could benefit the wider public, even the average person walking around the (Queen’s Park) Savannah. They would be able to learn more about local species, sit in an auditorium where there would be looped, educational videos on national flowers, animals…It was designed for that – to educate!"

Seyjagat continued, “However, they did a press release and said there would be a cinema and a restaurant and other things. That’s bullc--p!

“And (in our plans) there was no bar, none of those things. It was meant to have a small kiosk that sells refreshments.

"The zoo was never consulted on any of this. The ministry took our plan, made their own interpretation of it and presented it.”

Seyjagat said while zoo representatives attended some of the meetings about the expansion, they were there in the capacity of guests and not contributors.

“That was supposed to be the last project to be completed. An educational centre is not going to help the animals, so we put that last.

“The government accepted proposals, the government accepted that $56 million budget. That was their doing. The zoo did not ask for $56 million, and if we did, we would put that money into improving conditions for the animals.”

He said while animal welfare is a priority, the condition of the zoo does not fully reflect that.

In May, Planning Minister Pennelope Beckles told Newsday by e-mail that the project resulted from a 2015 Cabinet decision "to have the Ministry of Agriculture Land and Fisheries lead the expansion and development of the Emperor Valley Zoo into a modern, first-rate facility promoting tourism, local business, education, environmental awareness and biodiversity management."

She said it is being financed from the general revenues under the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP).

She added, "The enhanced facilities will definitely cause these numbers to increase exponentially and with this increase in numbers, I have no doubt that not only restaurant chains, but other types of service-based businesses will see the benefits of investing in this space."

Wine/coffee shop, pond added to upgrades

Following Finance Minister Colm Imbert's 2024/2025 budget presentation, the PSIP for 2025 was uploaded to the ministry's website. Under the zoo expansion project section, three new features were added to the list of upgrades: A wine/coffee shop, pond and walk-through aquarium.

The document says in fiscal 2024, a total of $7 million was spent on the project and completed works include foundation, casting of the northern floors and curtain wall subframe fabrication.

It says the building is 62 per cent complete, "with works ongoing for service building, external site works, drainage, electrical, plumbing, air condition, offsite ducting fabrication and waterproofing"

The Agriculture Ministry will get $15 million to complete construction in 2025.

The oldest PSIP document available on the Finance Ministry's website is from 2008. It says a master plan was created to enhance the zoo at a cost of $300,000. The listed upgrades there included a car park, visitor information centre and children’s play area.

From 2012, it was referred to as a discovery centre.

In 2020, the PSIP listed the upgrades as being "a learning environment and a children’s recreational area."

Ministry needs more time to respond

Newsday e-mailed the communications department of the Agriculture Ministry about the claims on October 4, but got no response.

Newsday then sent a follow-up e-mail on October 8, to which the ministry replied, “Thank you for reaching out regarding the Emperor Valley Zoo expansion project. We have received your e-mail with several important questions and are currently reviewing them.

“Our team is consulting with the relevant departments to provide accurate and comprehensive responses. We appreciate your patience as we gather the necessary information to address each inquiry thoroughly.”

Another follow-up e-mail was sent on October 11 but the ministry, though its communications department, replied, “Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately, we do not have any further update at this time as our team is still engaging the relevant departments to ensure a comprehensive and accurate response is prepared. We thank you for your understanding and patience in this regard.”