All anti-coronavirus safety measures were strictly observed during the three-day Islamic holiday, including obliging zoogoers to wear facemasks and taking their temperatures at all entry points, Ragai said, according to the Egyptian state news agency MENA.

The zoo received over 40,000 visitors on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr and over 80,000 visitors on the second day.

Eid Al-Fitr, which started on Monday, is one of two major religious holidays in Islam, the second being Eid Al-Adha, which falls on the 10th day of Dhu El-Hijjah — the 12th month of the Islamic Hijri calendar.

Egypt’s Cabinet designated the period between 30 April and 5 May a paid holiday for public employees, extending from Labour Day — which fell on 1 May — to the end of the Eid Al-Fitr holiday.

Ragai said that all basic amenities have been provided for visitors, and green spaces have been increased throughout the zoo.

As part of a host strict preventative measure, the zoo was shuttered for five months after the initial breakout of the coronavirus in Egypt in February 2020, before it opened its door to the public later in August.

The 85-feddan gated zoo opens its doors for guests from 7am to 6pm, with ticket prices of EGP 5.

The Giza Zoo, which was built by Khedive Ismail and opened on 1 March 1891, is the third oldest in the world and the oldest in Africa.

The zoo was first established as a botanical garden over an area of about 80 acres.