The Melios zoo facilities in Nicosia will be inspected by the relevant authorities within one month, director of the veterinary services Christodoulos Pipis said on Monday.
Speaking after a meeting with livestock farmers at the agriculture minstry, Pipis said that contrary to the claims of the zoo, the facilities did not operate as a farm.
“Mr. Melios [the owner of the zoo] is just saying what he wants,” he said.
Pipis added that the court rulings were final and that the process for addressing the matter had already been set in motion based on the Supreme Court’s decision and the Corut of Appeal’s second ruling.
“The plaintiff in this case is the local district government (EOA) in Nicosia, so in this context, the party directly responsible for implementing the court’s decision is the EOA,” he said.
According to Pipis, an agreement regarding the matter has already been reached between the agriculture ministry and the interior ministry, as well as with the EOA to ensure that representatives of the revelvant agencies will visit the zoo and are shown on-site by EOA officials which facilities are subject to the court’s decision and must be demolished.
This will enable the owner can clarify what he intends to do with the animals currently living in the facilities.
“If the owner fails to take appropriate action, then the state will intervene, take over management, and ensure that the animals are placed with organizations that are suitable, approved, and licensed for this purpose,” Pipis said.
He, however, added that “the issue of animal welfare has not been raised. What has been raised consistently is the issue of the legality of Melios’s actions from an urban planning perspective. The problem doesn’t stem from the animals. The problem stems from urban planning issues and ends up affecting the animals; therefore, to resolve the issue concerning the animals, the urban planning matter must first be settled”
He concluded by saying that the inspection of the zoo would be taking place “within the nex few days, within the month.”
Melios Zoo owner Menelaous Menelaou had earlier on Monday said that the zoo had been operating as a “farm” since it opened 26 years ago, despite it being home to wild animals.
Speaking to Sigma TV, Menelaou said that the establishmend has license to operate as a farm and not a zoo, and has been listed as the prios since its opening in 2000.
He alleged that the veterinary services had been “misinforming” ministers and commissioners over the status of the zoo for years, and called on the president and attorney-general to intervened, claiming that “the animals arrived in Cyprus legally and have been inspected.”