There will be a small cost of living increase to entrance fees to the Johannesburg Zoo, driven by the general rise in commodity and fuel prices.

From July 1, you'll have to pay a little bit more to get into the zoo

THE Johannesburg Zoo will increase its entry fees from 1 July; the rising inflation rate, soaring fuel prices and steadily increasing interest rates are having a knock-on effect on most commodities, and the zoo is no exception.

Owned by the City of Johannesburg, the zoo is surrogate parent to over 2 000 animals belonging to almost 400 species. It earned its world-class zoo status last year, after its upgrades met standards set by the Pan African Association of Zoos and Aquaria.

"The [zoo entrance] fees increase on an annual basis and this is determined by the City council," notes Sandra Hlungwani, the public relations and marketing officer. "This is a cost of living increase."

From next month, adults will pay R38 to enter the zoo, up from R36; schoolchildren and pensioners will pay R22 each, up from R21. School and welfare groups will fork out R16 per group.

"As the zoo is a service providing industry, the cost of providing this service increases with the cost of living," Hlungwani notes. It provides services such as tours, ferries and school holiday programmes. It is "under review to see if we are going to increase these fees as well".

Adult membership cards, which allow the member unlimited entry to the zoo throughout the year, are a once-off amount of R275, from R250; annual memberships for children and pensioners will rise from R180 to R200.

Parking, however, is not affected and it will still cost R10 to park a car and R20 to park a bus.

"The income in general is used for upgrading the zoo and for paying bills, among other things," Hlungwani said. These include feeding the animals and taking care of their medical needs and welfare. A large chunk of the zoo's budget comes from the City.

The Johannesburg Zoo is open daily from 8.30am until 5.30pm. It is in Jan Smuts Avenue, Forest Town, with the main entrance in Upper Park Drive. For more information call Sandra Hlungwani on 011 646 2000 extension 225 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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