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Tbilisi zoo open again

September 14, 2015

After a devastating flood killed more than half of its animals, Georgia's Tbilisi zoo has reopened. Among animals greeting visitors was the hippo which had escaped to a nearby city square.

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Begi the hippo during the flood
Image: Reuters/B. Gulashvili

The floods three months ago in Tbilisi killed more than half of the zoo's 600 animals, including a score of tigers, lions and jaguars.

Rainstorms in June caused the Vere River to overflow, killing 19 people as water swept through neighborhoods in the capital of Georgia, the former Soviet republic in the Caucasus.

Begi, the zoo's hippopotamus had escaped during the flood. It was found walking through a flooded city square nearby.

Director of the zoo, Zurab Gurielidze, said some new animals had been born since the deluge. There are plans to acquire others by next spring. The zoo currently has 300 animals.

Only the upper section of the zoo has been restored. The lower section was overwhelmed by muddy floodwaters on June 13. There are plans to transfer the zoo to a new location but it will take many years to build the new enclosures.

jm/bw (AFP, dpa)

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Georgien entlaufenene Zootiere nach Überflutung in Tiflis

Zoo animals on the loose after flooding in Georgia's capital

Zoo animals on the loose after flooding in Georgia's capital

At least eight people have died in Georgia's capital after severe flooding overnight. Sections of the zoo were destroyed, allowing tigers, lions, bears and other animals to escape and roam the streets of Tbilisi. (14.06.2015)
June 14, 2015