The Minister of Science and Technology, Mrs Naledi Pandor will tomorrow, Wednesday, 7 April 2010 at 09h00 visit the National Zoological Garden (NZG) of South Africa, 232 Blom Street in Pretoria.
Minister Pandor’s visit forms part of her induction to the facilities which are under the auspices of the Department of Science and Technology.
Established in 1899 and received national status in 1916, the National Zoological Garden is the largest zoo in South Africa and probably the only zoo in the world to have been declared a national research facility. It is rated amongst the top 10 zoos in the world.
It plays a major role in the conservation of wildlife, maintaining one of the largest animal collections in Africa, made up of over 7 000 individual animal specimens representing over 600 species.
The species are managed across four sites stretching into three provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo and North West. About 70 percent of the species are of the African origin and 30 percent of the global representation.
As a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA), the National Zoological Garden participates in several dozen endangered species management programmes and successfully breeds several endangered species of both continental and global significance.
Amongst the endangered species the National Zoological Garden contributes in conserving are the cheetah, rhino, ground hornbills, red-billed oxpeckers and several endangered antelope species.
Contact:
Lunga Ngqengelele
Tel: 012 843 6802
Cell: 082 566 0446
E-mail: lunga.ngqengelele@dst.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
6 April 2010
