China's Wuhan Zoo reopens after three-month lockdown

Following the Wuhan Zoo closure on 22nd January, one day prior to Chinese authorities announced a citywide lockdown, the zoo reopened to the public yesterday (Wednesday 22nd April). This comes after the lifting of Wuhan's 76-day lockdown on 8th April.

Throughout its COVID-19 closure, the zoo connected with the public through livestreaming its animals.  During their three-month lockdown, the zoo welcomed two baby milus (a species of deer native to the river valleys of China), one pony and five black swans with the ruddy shelduck, red-crowned crane, bar-headed goose and Australian coot also welcoming new family additions.

The Global Times is reporting that "while most netizens have focused on the cuteness of various animals some have expressed concerns about whether the zoo was reopening too soon".

In response to this concern, Wuhan Zoo stated "we will do our job at our end such as thoroughly disinfecting everything and other measures. We also hope that visitors will fully cooperate and follow the rules such as scanning the QR codes (to enter), getting their temperatures taken, wearing masks at all times and keeping an appropriate amount of distance from each other. This will require effort from both sides.”

The zoo has also set a limit of 15,000 visitors during peak visiting hours during the day. Indoor enclosures, such as where parrots live, will remain closed. Meanwhile, all animal feeding activities will be suspended.