Romanians no longer love zoos. The string of amazing incidents that stirred their popularity
More popular in communism, many zoos in Romania have often become compared by activists to protect animals with “prisons”. Thus, the perception of Romanians has changed, over time, and some zoo gardens are preparing to give up large animals.
The bear's box, meanwhile, died by old age, from the Hunedoara Zoo. Photo: Daniel Guță Adevărul
Numerous zoos in Romania were established during the communist period, an era in which the Romanians had much fewer options for spending free time and limited access to information sources.
The sight of animals in the cages could then represent an option to party the weekend, but many Romanians do not consider it up to date. In recent decades, the popularity of many zoos has decreased, even despite investments meant to improve the lives of animals and visitors experience.
Some zoos in Romania, such as those in Târgu Mureș (Video: Truth), Brașov, Băneasa, Sibiu, Oradea and Reșița remained appreciated tourist destinations, but compared to other zoos in Romania, devoid of extensive investments, the perception of Romanians has changed with the passage of time.
If in the past the zoo gardens were often viewed as exotic leisure areas, currently numerous online petitions-signed by thousands of Romanians-demand the abolition of some of them, describing them as “animal prisons”.
The “ironed” iron and concrete speakers in communism, the low spaces in which the wild lives revolve, the big carnivores held in loneliness, some for several decades, support the complaints of the associations demanding support for animals.
From the zoo to the park with animals
Established in the early 1970s, in the Chizid Forest, the Zoo in Hunedoara will gradually give up large animals, with more “friendly” species with visitors.
Some bear and lion specimens died, after several decades in which they lived almost only in captivity. Others have been transferred to other zoo gardens and reservations or prepare their move.
“Against the background of multiplying the notifications from the people who claim that the place of animals (especially of wild animals) is not at the zoo, but also in the conditions in which, in general, the zoos no longer have numerous animals so that exchanges can be made between the units of this kind, the Hunedoara City Hall has decided to give up the Hunedoara larger zoos ”, announces Hunedoara City Hall.
According to the representatives of the institution, the Zoo in Hunedoara will become a relaxing area, with small animals, where parents and children can interact with them, but also with playgrounds and entertainment in nature.
Wave of incidents in the zoos in Romania
Along with the conditions claimed by Romanians regarding the zoos, the lack of extensive investments in the modernization of their infrastructure, the costs of maintenance of the large carnivores and the numerous incidents in recent years in the zoo-parrots have subjected their popularity, feeding the Romanians' dissatisfaction. Here are some of the most notable.
In April 2025, a deer from the zoo in the “Nicolae Romanescu” Park in Craiova died after swallowing residues thrown by visitors.
“These are plastic packaging thrown by visitors in the pear where the deer was. We remind the visitors of the zoo garden that it is strictly forbidden to feed animals! Products such as puffs, popcorn, wool can cause serious animals digestive problems and not only,” transmitted the Autonomous Administration of Public Domain and the Lactive Fund (RADPFL) Craiova.
In December 2024, an employee of the Zoo in Pitesti was killed by a tiger, after entering his peasant to clean. The man would not have respected the safety protocols, which provided for the evacuation of animals in the outer country. The tiger jumped to him and bite, and the wound in the head area was fatal.
In July 2024, a bear entered the Zoo in Târgu Mureș, jumping the fence, and killed three deer and one emu.
In June 2024, an 18 -year -old from Calarasi was detained by the police after stole a lemur from the local zoo. The animal was found in life, related to the feet, without injury, but traumatized.
In February 2024, several buffaloes, who were in the mating period, were beaten, broke the fence of the peasant from the Galati Zoo, located in the Gârboavele Forest, and left the place. The escape of the buffaloes produced fear of a group of visitors, but eventually, the animals were recovered.
Visitors entered the “mouth” of animals
And in 2023 several serious incidents were reported at the zoo. A nine -year -old girl was bitten by a wolf in the Zoo in Dumbrava Sibiului. She ignored the warnings and inserted her hand through the protective fence, being injured.
At the Bârlad Zoo, another visitor was bitten by a Bengal Tiger, after being under the influence of alcoholic beverages – he put his foot in the tiger's cage.
At the same zoo, a 17-year-old was bitten by the bear while trying to make a selfie. The teenager jumped over the protective fence and approached the fence that surrounded the bear shelter. She was attacked, and her friend, who jumped to aid, was also bitten by the bear.
In the past years, other incidents happened at the zoos. In Hunedoara, a tourist broke a horn to a deer. And here, two tigers came out of the cage, arousing panic among the employees. In Târgu Mureș, a tiger female was shot after escaping, in 2011, from the zoo.
