As a child, I saw The Jungle Book - now, it's just a zoo

I remember Dubai Zoo as a magic place in my childhood, so I was all the more disappointed on a recent visit to see the unhappy living conditions for the animals.

Ever wonder how certain places, faces or things take you on a trip down memory lane? What if you could relive some of those experiences? You might be thinking that's impossible, especially in many places in the UAE, because everything is changing and growing so fast. Some of us still remember when the World Trade Centre was a major landmark, the Hilton was the biggest hotel in JBR and Sheikh Zayed Road was only four lanes.

But there are still a few places that hold special memories, like the Dubai Zoo on Jumeirah Beach Road. The last time I visited the zoo was more than 15 years ago and, although I pass it on a regular basis, I was instinctively drawn to it last Saturday. I've become more nostalgic in the last year or so and more interested in revisiting the stories and pictures from my life in the 1980s. This was one of them.

So camera in hand, I walked in alone amid the families of different nationalities. The ticket sellers waived the Dh2 entry fee, saying it was on the house (I guess my smile did it). I would have gladly paid 10 times the price if it helped the animals. The familiar smells and sounds reminded me of the last time I was there and I got excited all over again.

Despite the negative hype the zoo has received, and the fact that the animals were supposed to be relocated more than five years ago to a better location, I tried to keep an open mind, reading every signboard and speaking to the families who were gathered.

I have to say, I was quite disappointed with what I saw. My perspective has changed since I was a child; I suppose everything seems bigger when you're only a metre tall and sporting two ponytails, amazed that The Jungle Book has come to life. The zoo is located on the busy Jumeirah Beach Road, and beset not only by noise pollution but a daily dose of carbon monoxide, which means that many of these animals have a ticket for a very unhealthy and short life in a very crowded zoo.

With hardly any space between the cages, and holes in some of the enclosures, I actually found a cat in the cage that the endangered Arabian oryx and an ostrich share. The signboards that gave the details about each animal were in a small but readable font, but in an Arab country, only half of them were bilingual.

Some of the families I spoke to said they love how the zoo is close to their homes, and that the conditions of the animals seemed better than before, although they couldn't pinpoint what exactly had changed.

That famous male gorilla (who is known for urinating at men who threaten him) was eating from a plastic bag of chips, which I tried to photograph for evidence to report to the Municipality but I was afraid to get too close. If he ate the bag, he could end up like the giraffe that was found dead for "unknown" reasons. In the autopsy, they found a plastic bag in its stomach.

Security doesn't patrol the place often enough or even check bags. What ticked me off the most was that children were buying food at stalls, only to throw it at the animals with their parents cheering them on despite the clear signs that said do not feed or touch the animals. They got an earful from me for sure.

It's hard not to think about these animals' natural habitat, and how different that is from the crowded, noisy and polluted zoo. I can't even imagine how they feel during the summer months. It's like taking a fish and asking it to live in a desert or a human to live in water.

On the other hand, I was glad to see people of all ages and nationalities enjoying the zoo - I just wish it wasn't at the expense of the animals.

There should be more public areas dedicated to social activities that bring people and communities together. Maybe the zoo should not be eliminated, but we could at least petition that the animals' situation is improved.

It's the little things that count. If you love your freej, your neighbourhood, take the time to walk around and discover the things that made you smile before and work to make those happy memories more than just a thing of the past.

Aida al Busaidy is a columnist and former host of a Dubai television show