No income, 2,000 mouths to feed: Lockdown hits Greek zoo

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – It’s time to eat in Greece’s only zoo, and a capuchin monkey grabs as many mandarins as he can – and stabs one in his long, supple tail. It may be wise to save stock.

After being closed for almost three months due to COVID-19, the zoo on the outskirts of Athens could be on the verge of extinction: without paying visitors or – unlike other European zoos – enough state aid to meet its special needs Attica Zoological Park with large bills to keep 2000 animals well fed and healthy.

“As things stand, we can continue for at least another month,” said Jean Jacques Lesueur, founder and CEO of the zoo. “After that, we do not know.”

Unlike some businesses that have to close temporarily due to virus control restrictions, the zoo has significant operating costs. Between food, salaries, utilities, medical care and other expenses, the cost of caring for the animals is currently more than 200,000 euros ($ 243,000) per month.

‘This is the difference between us and other companies: when they close, they close. We close, but we do not close, ”Lesueur told The Associated Press.

The zoo, established in 2000 and located in the city of Spata, covers 20 hectares and is home to 290 species, from elephants to prairie dogs. It is involved in education, conservation and breeding and belongs to the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which has about 400 members.

To have to close again on November 7 after Greece’s two-month spring exclusion at Attica Zoological Park was bad. The zoo normally operates all year round, but does a lot of business during cooler weather, because in Greece, people go to the beaches, to the islands in the summer and visit no zoos, the French-born Lesueur said.

Visitors are responsible for more than 99% of its revenue from tickets, food and beverages and gift shops. The income therefore counts every month, and the loss of December, usually busy as a result of the Christmas holidays, was particularly heavy.

So far, suppliers have shown understanding and accept their credit. Two-thirds of staff at the zoo are on state aid, and an expected installment of state aid will take care of the rest for the rest of this month, the chief executive said.

The zoo also sold 5,000 advance tickets at lower prices for the closing period, and Lesueur says it helped pay December salaries.

Locks also affect the inhabitants of the zoo, accustomed to crowds of people. For almost three months, they only see their keepers. So the tables were turned when an AP journalist visited last week: several curious animals and birds came close to take a good look.

“Animals miss visitors because they’re part of their lives,” Lesueur said. ‘All the animals you see here are born in other zoos. So they are used to people. ”

Greece has so far registered about 150,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections and about 5,800 deaths in the pandemic. After peaking above 3,300 in November, the number of new daily cases has tripled.

Nevertheless, the greater Athens region remains the worst-hit country, and authorities said on Friday that they would impose stricter closure restrictions there. after reversing a drop in infection rates in January this week.

Overall, Lesueur says he is optimistic that the zoo will get approval to reopen in the coming weeks.

‘Unless the COVID (situation) gets worse. That’s a different story, ‘he said. “If we’re closed for another two months or three months, I really do not know what’s going to happen.”

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