Baghdad Zoo reopens aquarium

Photo By Sgt. Robert Yde | Adel Salmon Mousa, the director of the Baghdad Zoo, and Capt. Amy Cronin, the project manager for the 15th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, cut a cake at the grand opening of the zoo's aquarium July 23.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

07.29.2007

Story by Sgt. Robert Yde 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

By Sgt. Robert Yde
2nd Brigade Combat Team , 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

BAGHDAD, Iraq – After more than eight months of being nothing more than an empty building at the Baghdad Zoo in Zawra Park, the zoo's aquarium was reopened July 23.

Reopening the aquarium was just one of several ongoing projects that Soldiers with the 15th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB), 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division have been working on since March when they began supporting the Zawra Park complex.

According to the battalion's project manager, Capt. Amy Cronin, this was one of the easier projects that the 15th BSB had taken on because the only thing keeping the aquarium from being open was the lack of a power source.

"It was just one of those low hanging fruit type projects because the only thing we had to do was provide a generator," the Carlisle, Pa., native explained. "They had the means to get the fish. They had the contractor and paid for all the fish to be delivered here. The building was already in great shape, so it was just such a shame to see it closed down just because it needed power. It was a very simple project for us."

Cronin said that after taking over as the battalion's project manager she conducted an initial assessment of Zawra Park, and the zoo's management told her that their biggest issue was power generation.

She said that they requested four generators to be used to supply power throughout the park and that one of these generators was used for the aquarium project.

The contract for setting up the generators was given to Ali Latef, and he said that within three weeks of receiving the contract his crew had the generators installed and power was once again being supplied to the building that housed the old aquarium.

Latef added that to help drown out the distracting noise of the generators, concrete slabs were constructed around them.

Within a week of having the generator up and running, zoo employees began refilling the empty tanks with fish purchased at a market in Baghdad.

Dr. Belal Abed Alrozaq, a veterinarian who helped with the process of restocking the aquarium said that he was happy to see the aquarium reopened and pleased with the final results.

He said that for many Iraqis, the only knowledge they have of fish comes from those that they eat and he is hoping that the new aquarium will help educate visitors about marine life.

"It is a wonderful place where every body can watch the fish and learn more information about the fish," he said.

The aquarium is home to 15 different varieties of fish, mainly different types of goldfish and tetra, as well as a desert tortoise. While the aquarium does not contain any exotic or tropical fish, Cronin said that just the fact that it is now reopened is a step in the right direction.

"This is progress," she said. "Just being able to open up another exhibit at the zoo for people to visit is a great thing."

According to the zoo's director, Adel Salman Mousa, the addition of the aquarium is one of the most important projects that the zoo has completed and it will add to the experience of coming to the zoo.

With the aquarium now open, Cronin said that she and the management of the zoo and Zawra Park will focus on several other projects that are either ongoing or in the works.

Currently, many of the buildings within the zoo, which were maintained on the inside but were deteriorating on the outside, are being repainted in bright colors. Cronin said that the next major project would be improving the horse stables in Zawra Park, which are right across the street from the zoo.

"They've got 27 horses and they don't have enough horse stables for them right now so we're going to be adding on another 20 stalls," she said.

Future projects that Cronin said are being discussed include expanding the lion and bear habitats to provide these animals with space more fitting for their size, and the construction of a walk-through bird sanctuary that would house free flying birds.

"It makes me feel great," she said. "I couldn't have asked for a better project. It was already nice when we came here and everything that we do just improves it. The Iraqi people have a nice place to visit so we're going to continue as long as we're here. We've got a lot of projects that are in progress and a lot of them that are going to be coming through and being funded in the next couple of months so this place will just continue to grow and improve."

• Date Taken: 07.29.2007
• Date Posted: 07.30.2007 10:25
• Story ID: 11512
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ