Addis Ababa
Despite Africa recording the World's fastest tourist growth for the second year running according to the UNWTO, and Ethiopia showing good progress too, one of the East Africa country's zoos has had to poison rare lions to make ends meet.
Lion Zoo in Addis Ababa has had to kill the country's treasured Abyssinian Lions as entrance fees did not cover the running costs.
Zoo administrator Muhedin Abdulaziz said the park only received $5000 at the gate, while it cost $6000 to run the zoo.
The zoo was poisoning the lions and selling the bodies to taxidermists for $170 each.
Growth in the tourism segment has not been enough to save the lions at the 58-year-old zoo. Unless the zoo quickly invests to ensure that more tourists visited the zoo, through marketing and facilty upgrades, the Abyssinian Lions may in the future only be found on national coins and statues.
Business in Africa
