No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveProtesters clash with San José police at Simón Bolívar Zoo's anniversary party

Protesters clash with San José police at Simón Bolívar Zoo’s anniversary party

Animal rights activists crashed the Simón Bolívar Zoo’s 97th anniversary party Sunday in San José’s Barrio Amón to protest what they consider unfit conditions for the zoo’s animals. The protest, attended by approximately 30 people, ended in the arrest of three of the demonstrators.

“We marched against the exploitation of all animals,” said Edgar Samper, the protest’s organizer. “Simón Bolivar Zoo is the largest institution of animal exploitation that we have in this country.”

According to a police press release, the arrests occurred three blocks from the zoo’s entrance after a man hurled a rock at a passing car. Two other protesters joined him in disrupting traffic and after zoo security officials intervened, one of them smashed a guard’s radio.

The rock thrower, identified by the last names Mireno Solano, has been charged at the Flagrancy Court, and the two other men, identified by the last names Chavarría Rojas and Valverde Méndez, are now free but charged with misdemeanors.

detenidzoo

Police arrest one of three protesters Sunday at demonstration at the Simón Bolívar Zoo in San José. Courtesy of the Public Security Ministry

Samper’s organization, Animal and Earth Resistance Front (FRAT), has opposed the zoo’s existence since its foundation in 2011 and has held two other demonstrations outside the institution’s gates in the past two years.

This demonstration comes less than a week after the Environment Ministry announced that it will close the zoo and convert it into a botanical garden. Though Samper and other environmental groups have applauded the decision, the zoo’s administration has taken the ministry to court, claiming the government has a contractual obligation to keep the zoo open.

“It’s a great decision, but the zoo keeps coming up with all of these excuses,” Samper said. “We are going to continue protesting until these animals are taken to a better location.”

Popular Articles

Miguel ‘El Piojo’ Herrera Named Costa Rica National Team Coach for 2026 World Cup

The Costa Rican Soccer Federation officially presented him this Friday at noon at the Mélico Salazar Theater in San José. The new coach that...

Lost in Translation: 10 Costa Rica Words That Might Trip You Up

Spend a little time in Costa Rica, and you’ll quickly realize it is a country that plays by its own rules and has some...

Mel Gibson Reveals Love for Costa Rica on Joe Rogan Podcast

Many Hollywood stars love Costa Rica and choose to vacation in the country. Some have even bought their own houses to enjoy the country’s...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait

Latest Articles