The Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires has taken control of the city’s controversial zoo, announcing plans to move nearly all of its 2,500 animals to sanctuaries across the country where they can be housed in better conditions.

Speaking on 23 June, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, mayor of Buenos Aries, said that the “situation of captivity is degrading for the animals” and “not the way to take care of them.”

The 44 acre (178,000sq m) zoo was constructed in 1875 on the outskirts of the city, but rapid urban development over the years means it now sits in a built up concrete area, with its animals living in poor conditions. The mayor said that the majority of the animals will be relocated to nature reserves throughout Argentina, with those deemed too old or sensitive to be relocated – a figure thought to be around 50 animals – to remain in the zoo, which is to undergo a transformation and reopen as an eco park later in the year.

The zoo had been attracting very bad press in recent years, most notably with its polar bears, the last one of which died in December 2012 during particularly hot weather. In December 2014, a court granted basic human rights to one of the zoo’s orangutans, so poor were her living conditions. Also in 2015 two sea lions died within days of each other – one due to overfeeding from the zoo’s visitors and the other allegedly from stress due to being overworked during performances.

The new ecopark will teach children “how to take care of and relate with the different species”, according to the mayor, who added that the park would also include a refuge and rehabilitation centre for animals, especially those that have been illegally trafficked.