Gaza zoo animals die of hunger and diseases

World Today

In Gaza, animals at the South Jungle Zoo are dying of hunger and disease. CCTV’s Noor Harazeen reports.

The owner of Gaza’s South Jungle Zoo, which was once an attraction for school picnics, trippers and families bringing their children to see lions, monkeys and crocodiles, is selling up the animals after most of them emaciated or died of hunger and diseases.

Mohamed Oweida, 24 owner and also director, said that the zoo’s problems began since a 50-day summer fighting between Israel and the Islamic Hamas movement started in July 2014. He had no access to reach the zoo to feed or take care of the poor animals, nor could the zoo workers due to the intensive air strikes.

The Israeli occupation is the reason behind the death of the animals, we have been through a real economic war since the Israeli war ended, nobody has visited the zoo ever since, we have earned less than $ 50 in two years and a half , the situation is very difficult inside the zoo, the tiger needs about $100 for its daily food, other animals are suffering health problems, because they are not served food, they don’t receive any veterinary medicines either,” he said.

The South Jungle Zoo opened in 2007, it used to employ 30 workers, Oweida and his brothers who rarely show up at the zoo now, invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in this business. As for now, they can neither pay for a veterinarian to check on the animals nor afford 300 Shekels per day to feed the African tiger.

Sadly, only one Austrian association has supported Mohamed’s project for two months, thus by providing the remaining 20 or so animals and birds with the needed food and veterinary medicines.

But what after the two months in case there was no intervention and support from the international humane societies to rescue the already dying animals, Oweida, who welcomes any outside help will have no other choice except to watch them die.