At their best, zoos are a sanctuary for abused or orphaned exotic animals and a center for learning about and appreciating the creatures we share the planet with.
But at their worst, zoos are centers of abuse and neglect, where animals are exploited, so greedy humans can make a profit. When Mohammed Awaida opened the Khan Younis Zoo, also called the South Forest Park, in Gaza in 2007, he cared more about profits than he did about the 65 animals that he had smuggled in through underground tunnels.
When Mohammed Awaida opened the Khan Younis Zoo, also called the South Forest Park, in Gaza in 2007, he cared more about profits than he did about the 65 animals that he had smuggled in through underground tunnels.
“The concept of a zoo came to the owner because he had probably seen a successful one elsewhere in the territory and decided to copy it. He might just have easily seen a mobile phone shop and copied that instead,” said Dr. Amir Khalil. And when Israel blockaded Gaza, Awaida did nothing to help the animals, who were left to fend for themselves through bombings, raids, and food shortages.
‘It was after the 2014 fighting that the Khan Younis Zoo came on our radar. It was clear that this was a failing place. Food, medicine, basic care for the animals – everything was in short supply and they were paying for it with their lives. After 2014, the health of these animals was deteriorating rapidly. Four Paws took the decision to rescue them,” said Dr. Khalil, who directed the mission to rescue the surviving 13 animals.
When the Four Paws team arrived to rescue the animals, they discovered Laziz the tiger, who had survived on chicken carcasses and rotten fruit, in a tiny cage and immediately found him a home at the Lion’s Big Rock Sanctuary in South Africa.
“Laziz is fiercely intelligent. He was a little bit baffled at first, trading a home of 10 square meters or so for one that is 1,000 times greater in size, but all his instincts came back to him in a flash,” said Four Paws director Ioana Dungler. “He learned to jump, he craned his head to hear the roar of the other tigers. He can rake his claws as nature intended on tree trunks. Most of all he is getting the food and care he needs.”
Thanks to the caretakers at the sanctuary, Laziz is getting plenty of food and medical care as he recovers and is expected to live about 20 more years with the other tigers, lions, antelopes, and ostriches in the park. “He is safe here. The only objects that will be aimed at him from now on are cameras. He can live out his life in peace.”
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[Featured image: Roger Allen]
Starving Tiger Is Rescued From ‘World’s Worst Zoo’ is an article from: LifeDaily