The zoo agreed to close and accepted more than £44,000 from Four Paws, and in April the animals were moved to Jordan. But the zoo has now reopened keeping new lions, ostriches, and monkeys, again in tiny cages.
CHRISTY COONEY: ‘Rafah Zoo in Gaza was slammed after disturbing pictures revealed dozens of emaciated lions, monkeys, and peacocks living in cramped cages. The zoo agreed to close and accepted more than £44,000 from Vienna-based animal charity Four Paws to pay for food and medical treatment until the animals could be moved. In April, the animals were sedated and moved 190 miles to a new home in Jordan via Israel, which gave special permission for the land transfer. But the zoo is now reported to have reopened and keeping lions, ostriches, and monkeys, again in tiny cages.
Four Paws hit out at the development and received assurances from the zoo owners that it would close once the transfer of animals had been completed… Four Paws has said that the current cages sizes are completely unacceptable and that the animals were in need of better food and medical care. Local animal rights activist Mohammed Aweda cast doubt on the prospect of a further rescue, saying there was already a debate about whether the last payment should be counted as animal trading…
Of the lions now being kept in the zoo, two are fully-grown and three are cubs. Recent visitors to the zoo report seeing staff trying to separate lion cubs from their mothers users sticks so that customers could be photographed with them. They also said ostriches were being kept in tiny cages and were constantly pecking at their bars, and that monkeys could be seen eating rubbish off the floor.
New manager Ashraf Jumaa, who is thought to be related to the people who promised to close the zoo, denied the zoo was trying to blackmail charities for more money. “Our main objective is not trade but entertainment, and we decided to reopen because that was what local people wanted,” he said. But he admitted that the zoo would be unable to afford to feed all its lions once the cubs began to grow’. SOURCE…
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