Zoo on a June afternoon Saturday, 19 June 2010 02:03

by Rana Khaled

A Wednesday afternoon in the 45 degrees Celsius is not the ideal time to spend at the zoo.  Aside from a few families, the zoo was low on liveliness and energy.

“Around 150 people come on Fridays and Saturdays, but we have more than double that number in other seasons,” said Mohammadi Al Sohrab, the zoo photographer. Sohrab explains that the animals feel restless and lazy in summer, which is why they do not move much or behave naturally.

“When I was about four, seeing the lions here at the zoo was my favorite thing. The lions were always jumping from one rock to another and were actively moving around,” said Amir Nasr, a 23 year old who left Qatar at the age of 10 and is back for a visit.

“I knew when I was coming that I wasn’t going to witness a huge crowd because it’s a weekday and because of the hot weather, but the place seemed deserted,” said Nasr, “I wasn’t expecting to see only four to five families.”