By Adam Foxman, Tico Times Staff

The Simón Bolívar Zoo in San José’s Barrio Amón celebrated its 90 th anniversary yesterday with music, candles and reconciliation.

Elementary and high school students who won a singing contest called “What Falls in the River Ends up in the Sea” provided entertainment at the morning celebration, which culminated with representatives of the nonprofit Foundation for Zoos (FUNDAZOO), which runs the facility, singing happy birthday to the zoo alongside Vice-Minister of Environment and Energy Jorge Rodríguez.

The participation of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) in the event marked a change in the government’s tumultuous relationship with FUNDAZOO, which has been sharply criticized for the facility’s cramped cages and allegedly unsanitary conditions.

During the last administration, a fierce legal battle erupted between the company and MINAE after the ministry tried to regain control of the public zoo (TT, Jan. 28, 2005).

Now, the ministry wants to work together with FUNDAZOO to improve conditions for the zoo’s animals, Rodríguez explained.

“The country is not going to gain anything if we keep fighting,” said Rodríguez, explaining that studies are under way as to how to best improve the zoo and fix its financial problems.

MINAE and FUNDAZOO are resolving their differences and there is “good will” between them, agreed Yolanda Matamoros, president of FUNDAZOO.