A video posted on Facebook by the young Rockie Perrie Guau documents the current state of the Cárdenas Zoo in the province of Matanzas: a site turned into rubble, with its murals of tropical animals and a Cuban flag still visible among the ruins, while its grounds are being divided for the construction of housing.
"And just like that, almost without realizing it, a place that holds memories and dreams of generations faded away. The Cárdenas Zoo came to an end after being abandoned by the community and dismantled by construction material collectors, reduced to rubble. Today, its land has been divided for the construction of houses," the author wrote alongside the one-minute and six-second clip.
The video accumulated over 26,000 views, 823 reactions, and 333 comments, reflecting the impact it had among Cubans who recognize the place as part of their collective memory.
The deterioration of the facility did not happen overnight. As early as 2019, the Cárdenas zoo was described as one of the microzoos in a state of abandonment in the province of Matanzas, along with those in Jovellanos, Colón, and the provincial capital.
In July 2021, the starvation conditions in which the lions lived were reported, with no effective measures taken by the authorities.
In April 2026, the organization Bienestar Animal Cuba (BAC) again highlighted the extreme neglect at several zoos on the island and urged the public not to visit them, in the context of a widespread crisis of the Cuban zoo system.
The pattern is repeated throughout the country: the Colón Zoo, also in Matanzas, was denounced in December 2025 for "inhumane" conditions, with sick animals and no veterinary care; the Santiago de Cuba Zoo remained closed to the public in November 2025; and the 26 Zoo in Havana was described in August of that year as a place with dry ponds, dirty cages, and visibly malnourished animals.
What makes the case of Cárdenas more painful is its contrast with the city's heritage value.
Known as the "Flag City" for being the place where the Cuban flag was first raised on May 19, 1850, its historic center was declared a National Monument in March 2022 due to its architectural and cultural significance.
However, the city is experiencing accelerated structural deterioration: in August 2025, the second floor of a building collapsed in the city center, attributed to the systematic theft of beams and materials; on May 11, 2026, part of a warehouse collapsed due to advanced deterioration; and in April 2026, the cross from a chapel had to be removed due to the risk of collapse.
The dismantling of the zoo—with its materials plundered—is the latest expression of a collapse that is progressing without the regime providing answers.
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