Construction of a new zoo in Dushanbe has been postponed again as foreign specialists cannot arrive in Dushanbe due to the coronavirus crisis, according to the Dushanbe Administration. 

The Dushanbe Administration made a decision to move the Dushanbe Zoo already at the beginning of this year.  

“At this time, the implementation of this decision had to be postponed.  Moscow specialists have been tasked with developing this project.  Other foreign specialists have been invited as well.  However, they could not arrive in Dushanbe due to the coronavirus pandemic.   We will begin the implementation of the project as soon as the opportunity arises,” Tojiddin Saidzoda, the head of mayor’s office, told Asia-Plus in an interview.   

The Dushanbe Administration has determined a new location for Dushanbe Zoo.  A new Zoo will be constructed on the northern outskirts of Tajik capital, on the Varzob River bank. 

Design of a new Dushanbe Zoo has been developed by Moscow planners and it has been submitted for consideration to the Dushanbe Main Directorate for Architecture and Town-Planning.

Dushanbe Zoo turned 59 years old on April 30, 2020.  Over the past nearly 60 years, the zoo has been dilapidated but has never been repaired or rehabilitated. 

Recall, more than 25 animals died in Dushanbe Zoo last year alone.  Moreover, the terrarium burned down, and all animals that were there reportedly burned alive with it.

In total, 985 animals of 135 species are reportedly now kept in the Dushanbe Zoo.  50 people now work for the Dushanbe Zoo, and only 32 of them are specialists.

Founded in 1961, the zoo is located in the center of the city on the Luchob River bank (on Ismoili Somoni Avenue).  By 1974, with 1059 animals of 254 species, Dushanbe Zoo was regarded as one of the best zoos in the Soviet Union.  Until the breakdown of the Soviet Union and independence in 1991, the zoo was considered one of the best sightseeing attractions in Dushanbe.  The number of animals was great and diverse.  National independence in 1991, followed by a civil war lasting until 1997, posed a great threat to the zoo in terms of the loss of species and economic hardship.  Public financing was no longer available to the extent it was before.

Dushanbe Zoo has been member of the Eurasian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 2007.