A big cat enclosure was inaugurated at the Veszprém Zoo on Thursday as part of the zoo’s development projects under the Modern Cities Programme, with a total investment of approximately five billion forints, resulting in the complete renewal of about one-third of the institution’s Fejes Valley area.
At the inauguration ceremony, Tibor Navracsics, Minister of Public Administration and Regional Development, stated that the zoo’s development over the past fifteen years is significant for the city’s and the region’s economy. It creates jobs, improves liveability, and plays a crucial role in tourism, he pointed out.
Veszprém Mayor Gyula Porga emphasized that the inauguration of the big cat enclosure is part of an ongoing process. The Veszprém Zoo is characterized by conscious and continuous development, expanding year by year. The same long-term development is characteristic of the city of Veszprém, the mayor noted.
Péter Ovádi, Government Commissioner responsible for the development and implementation of the Animal Protection Action Plan and Member of Parliament for the region highlighted the zoo’s popularity, boasting more than four hundred thousand visitors annually.
Director of the Veszprém Zoo László Török told MTI after the ceremony that the big cat enclosure, along with the previously inaugurated bear enclosure and the domestic animal exhibit, as well as the complete replacement of utilities in the area, was realized as part of a roughly five billion forint investment package within the Modern Cities Programme.
Siberian tigers, snow leopards, and Carpathian lynxes—the inhabitants of the big cat enclosure—have long been residents of the zoo, but their previous living conditions no longer met the most modern zoo and tourism standards.
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Sources: Hungarian Conservative/Veszprém Zoo/MTI
