As a sorry chapter in Split history finishes, what will happen to the site that was the city’s zoo?
Do you have an idea what should replace the former Split Zoo at Marjan? If so, now is your opportunity to present your ideas to the City Hall which has announced the call for proposals. The supporting documents show that it is expected that proposals should advocate “biodiversity, landscape diversity and geo-diversity”, provide “sustainable use of natural resources”, and “prevent or mitigate harmful interventions and disturbances in natural habitat”, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on December 10, 2015.
“We are going to establish a multidisciplinary committee which will select a few ideas, and they will then be presented to the City Council. This is, therefore, the first step of collecting various ideas”, said Robert Koharević, director of the Public Institution for Management of Marjan. “Currently, the animals which are eligible under the Nature Protection Act will stay on Marjan. We have goats, donkeys, cows… It would be stupid to move them out if it turns out that the best idea is for them to remain there. They will have all the necessary care from professional staff, pending the final decision on their status”, Koharević said.
“We are going to take part in the competition. For this purpose, we have formed the Split Donkey Initiative. We have publicly expressed what we want, since there are certain kinds of domestic animals which are suitable for such an environment. We have experts which can take care of them”, Srđan Marinić, head of the Marjan Association, said.
Another team, whose representative is Lovro Rumora from “Greens of Dalmatia”, has a different opinion. “We believe that this space should have no live animals, but should present a story about local Dalmatian animals. Everything would be shown in a modern way in existing buildings. We would have holographic 3D models of animals and we would include in our project the University, Natural History Museum and the Oceanographic Institute”, Rumora said and noted that his team includes Jelena Zanchi, an architect who worked on the program of the Split Zoo reconstruction seven years ago.
The City Hall has sent the following statement regarding the issue: “This is one of the most valuable resources in Split within the protected Marjan Park. Following the decision of the City Council, the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Split will conduct an expert study. The goal is to create a preserved and protected natural and cultural zone.”
