As the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) moved the Wildlife, Conservation and Protected Areas Bill 2024 to the third reading stage, parliamentarians called for the establishment of zoological parks, commonly known as zoos, in Juba City and other main towns across the country to generate revenue.
The Bill aims to protect and develop the wildlife resource potential of South Sudan which has the largest animal migration in Africa. The country also has an extensive system of game reserves and national parks, totaling about 87,030Km which is about 13 percent of the land.
Lino Uto, a member of the parliament, urged Minister of Wildlife and Conservation Rizik Zachariah to consider establishing town zoos to attract tourists and generate revenue.
According to the lawmaker, besides attracting tourists, zoos can provide an opportunity for the public to see wild animals, especially those who have not seen them before.
“Honorable minister of wildlife, I would like you to come up with a town zoo. You try to bring us money because tourism is money. So, do something for us where we can go and see animals” Uto appealed. “Some of us have not seen buffalos not to mention an elephant. Tourism is money.”
He added that many tourists from across the globe will come to South Sudan for tourism.
For his part, TNLA Second Deputy Speaker Parmena Awerial Aluong said not everyone goes to the game parks to see the animals and emphasized that it is important for zoos to be established for children to see animals.
“My addition to the honorable minister is that we do not have zoos yet they are essential because not everyone goes to the touring places,” he said. “Open the zoos in towns like Juba, Wau, and Malakal so that the children can go and see animals. This is very important.”
Despite the ravages of war, South Sudan has vast relatively intact natural habitats.