Casablanca Zoo Reopening Stalls: Concerns Mount Over Mismanagement and High Admission Fees

"Components of civil society, as well as the inhabitants of Casablanca, have begun to express their fears of seeing the signs of mismanagement and confusion that have accompanied this project from the beginning repeated, which suggests further waste of public money and the loss of an opportunity to restore value to an establishment long dear to Moroccans," writes the deputy Loubna Sghiri, in a question addressed to the Minister of the Interior.

She also spoke out about the announced admission fee to the park: 80 dirhams for adults and 50 dirhams for children, with a planned increase to 100 and 60 dirhams respectively by 2029. This rate "is not adapted to the deteriorated purchasing power of large segments of citizens," she believes, warning of the risk of depriving a large part of the families of their right to enjoy a public space, and of emptying the project of its social and cultural vocation.

Driven by these concerns, the deputy is asking the minister to reveal the measures his department intends to put in place to ensure good governance and transparent management of the institution, and to avoid the repetition of the previous malfunctions that have marked the rehabilitation process. She also wants to know if it is possible to review the announced rate in order to better take into account the purchasing power of citizens.

The PPS elected official also recalled that the Aïn Sebaâ park "constitutes one of the historical and symbolic monuments of the city of Casablanca, and has represented for many decades a recreational and educational space, keeping a special place in the memory of successive generations, as a public breathing space and environmental and cultural destination contributing to the education of young people."