Dozens of neglected animals rescued from run down Gaza zoo
- The animals, including lions, foxes, monkeys, pelicans, wolves and ostriches, will be resettled in sanctuaries in Jordan and South Africa
Dozens of neglected animals were evacuated from a ramshackle Gaza zoo on Sunday in the fourth and largest such rescue mission in the blockaded Palestinian enclave.
Vets and volunteers from Four Paws International transported some 40 animals into Israel from the neglected zoo in the southern town of Rafah. The animals, including lions, foxes, monkeys, pelicans, wolves and ostriches, will be resettled in sanctuaries in Jordan and South Africa.
“The zoo has been in a bad situation in recent years due to economic and political turmoil,” said Amir Khalil, a veterinary surgeon from the Vienna-based organisation. “Most of the animals had a sort of traumatisation.”
Many of the animals were smuggled into Gaza via tunnels beneath the southern border with Egypt, which along with Israel has blockaded the territory since the Hamas government took over in 2007.
