Animals forced to live in a hellhole zoo in Gaza can finally look forward to a brighter future after a heartbreaking rescue.
The animals homed in the Gaza zoo include the last Bengal tiger on Palestinian land and a pelican who has shared his enclosure for a year with the bleached bones and rotting flesh of fellow creatures who didn’t make it.
Now the lorries transporting them and 13 more animal inmates – all that is left of a population that once numbered 65 – are taking them to Jordan where the majority of them will be rehoused in an animal park.
The animals were removed from the zoo, which has now effectively closed, by international animal welfare group Four Paws.
Monkeys, an emu, a pelican and a porcupine were among the animals rescued from the zoo, decimated by repeated wars and a shortage of customers, AFP reports.
“Khan Yunis Zoo has been known as the ‘worst zoo in the world’ since it became public last year that the zoo was crudely mummifying the animals that died in their care and displaying them,” according to Four Paws.
“Four Paws has been active in providing emergency food and supplies to the animals, but now we have the chance to rescue them all for good.”
Only Laziz the tiger will not reach journey’s end tonight. He is poised to fly to South Africa in the coming days where he will live out his life in a massive enclosure at the Lion’s Rock Big Cat Sanctuary.
Four Paws added; “Laziz went into his transport crate without hesitation. He even seems to behave more calm in the crate now more than he has in his desolate cage.
“Laziz has not been anesthetised due to the fact that he will have to get a medical check and move to another crate before departing to South Africa, for this procedure he will be anesthetised.”
The organisation added: “But he was specially trained by a wild animal trainer for months to do so. This time, no training was possible and we could only count on the will of Laziz to cooperate.
“And he just did it as if he has never done anything else in his life. He walked in the crate and immediately settled down – without showing any signs of stress. We were relieved.”
The rescue of Laziz and the other dwellers in the forgotten hellhole that was their home is the end result of a delicate operation.
It began two years ago when Israeli bombs, sealed borders and a lack of basic care for the zoo animals created a perfect storm of suffering for them.
But the full horrific story started back in 2007 when around 90 percent of the animals were smuggled into the hermetically sealed territory through the tunnels dug by Hamas fighters used to bring in weapons, food, fuel and medicines.
They were brought in on the whim of a man who thought Palestinians would enjoy a distraction from their grim everyday lives through marvelling at a menagerie of wild things.
Dr. Khalil, who supervised the evacuation of the zoo at a time when the Israeli military began reprisal raids on Hamas militant positions in Gaza because of a rocket fired into an Israeli settlement, said he was deeply saddened by what happened to them – and the state of the living.
“At least we are happy now to know that those who made it through will have a better life,”
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