Thuringia: New management team planned for Erfurt Zoo

Erfurt (dpa/th) - The Erfurt Zoo, which made the headlines because of several dead animals, is to receive a new management.

Thuringia: New management team planned for Erfurt Zoo

Erfurt (dpa/th) - The Erfurt Zoo, which made the headlines because of several dead animals, is to receive a new management. According to the plans, the zoo curator Heike Maisch is to temporarily manage the zoo until the post is advertised externally, as the responsible councilor for the city of Erfurt, Matthias Bärwolff, confirmed on Thursday. The "Thüringer Allgemeine" and MDR Thüringen had previously reported on it.

The city council still has to decide on December 14 about the new management team, which should also include the former city hall spokeswoman Inga Hettstedt and the zoo doctor Tina Risch. According to the proposal, the women would replace the previous double leadership Sabine Merz and Katrin Gallion after massive problems at the zoo and a sharp drop in visitors.

This year, five wild animals died in the Erfurt Zoo - two cheetahs, a lioness and a small rhinoceros bull and a rhinoceros cow - for partly inexplicable reasons.