Strife takes toll on Dusit zoo

Strife takes toll on Dusit zoo

Dusit zoo's revenue has dropped by half as the political turmoil has kept visitors away, says zoo director Banyat Insuwan.

The zoo, better known as Khao Din, is opposite parliament in Dusit district. The district comes under the Internal Security Act, a tough security measure imposed since the protests began.

After the anti-government demonstrations erupted on Oct 31, police closed the roads around Government House and parliament.

Security forces have used the zoo as a rest area, while the visitors' car park has been occupied by police vehicles.

Mr Banyat said the zoo's revenue had dropped from about 10-13 million baht in October to only four million baht last month. Mr Banyat added that visitor numbers fell from several hundred thousand a month to less than 100,000.

He said the fall in the zoo's revenue had affected its operations and he now wants the government to put in more money to help it cope with the losses.

"There are fewer and fewer people coming here, possibly because of road closures and the large number of police personnel camping in the zoo's compound," he said.

The zoo might need help from the government in order to feed the more than 2,000 animals at the zoo.

He also called for a reduction in the number of police resting at the zoo and to return the car park for visitors' use.

The protest had not affected animals at the zoo and no animal evacuations had been needed, he said.

Some of the animals were evacuated during the clashes between red-shirt protesters and security forces near parliament in 2010.

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