Melios Zoo Park is to close after the Supreme Constitutional Court dismissed an appeal by businessman Menelaos Menelaou, upholding a previous Administrative Court ruling on the zoo's operating status.
Menelaou had filed three separate appeals challenging the authorities' refusal to grant new planning permits, extend an existing permit, or renew the zoo's operating licence.
The courts found serious violations, including the illegal expansion of the park onto private and state land without the required permits, deviations from approved plans, and the keeping of animals that did not meet the necessary safety conditions, including large carnivores. The ruling also noted an inadequate water supply: the licence cited by Menelaou covered irrigation purposes only, and the local council had refused to connect the facility to the public water network.
The Supreme Constitutional Court found that the grounds of appeal presented by Menelaou were either unsubstantiated or had been raised too late, and that he had provided no evidence to counter the authorities' findings on the illegal use of land and the water supply deficiencies. The court also noted there was no proof that the state land had been exchanged as Menelaou had claimed.
The appeal was dismissed in full. Menelaou has been ordered to pay €4,000 in costs, bringing the zoo's operation to a definitive end.