Since its opening in 2012, the National Zoological Garden (JZN) of Rabat has welcomed more than 6 million visitors, with an average of 500,000 visitors per year, thus ranking at the head of the most visited attractions in the capital and spaces of most popular entertainment in the country.
A press release from the JZN indicates that the zoo is celebrating its 13th anniversary this January 2025, which will be marked by the organization, from the 9th to the 14th of the same month, of festive activities and educational workshops aimed at promoting education. to the environment, as a space of discovery and learning for younger generations.
This celebration, notes the same source, also constitutes an opportunity to return to the role of the zoo in the preservation of biodiversity and environmental education and to take stock of its mission as a key player in the conservation of Moroccan and African wildlife.
Made up of more than 2,000 animals representing 190 species, including the largest collection of Atlas Lions in the world, the animal collection available on the site gives it the status of the first wildlife conservation platform on a national scale, with a bias towards Moroccan endemic species and African species.
The conservation strategy is based on the constitution of founding nuclei of wild species extinct in the wild or in danger of extinction and the renewal of reproductive groups, either through new births or through new acquisitions from the network of zoos and from partner zoological institutions around the world.
-As an indication, more than 220 births were recorded in 2024 among Atlas lions, bald ibises, maggot monkeys, Thompson’s gazelles, addax and cuffed mouflons and more than 50 animals were acquired from foreign zoos such as wild dogs, Saharan antelopes, reptiles and birds like the houbara bustard.
In terms of actions in favor of the preservation of local biodiversity, various studies have been carried out on Moroccan species, their natural habitats and African ecosystems as part of scientific research projects and plans aimed at deepening knowledge. and the exchange of expertise between the community of scientists and researchers on animal species, particularly the most vulnerable.
With a view to 2025 and the objective of modernizing the visitor experience, the National Zoological Garden has planned the use of the digitalization of its platforms through connected solutions adapted to the contemporary needs of the public.
At the same time, and in line with its conservation and scientific research strategy, a plan is deployed to diversify the zoo’s offering in terms of enriching its animal collection and improving animal welfare, while playing the role of hub open to different stakeholders in the field of wildlife studies on a regional scale.
