We cannot let animals be treated this way!
Animal welfare groups from around the world are calling for the immediate closure of Kiev Zoo after a shocking spate of animal deaths.
The 100-year-old zoo has recently been dubbed
“a concentration camp for those with fur and feathers,”
with many suspecting corruption to be at the heart of the problem.
An Indian elephant called Boy, the pride of the zoo, collapsed and died in his enclosure last year.
Animal welfare groups say dozens if not hundreds of animals have died at the zoo in recent years due to malnutrition, a lack of medical care and mistreatment.
Once the jewel of the Ukrainian capital and a favourite weekend spot for families, the zoo began to deteriorate after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and the years of poverty that followed.
Many locals hope the zoo can be saved. However, Tamara Tarnavska of the Kiev-based SOS animal rights group believes the zoo must be closed to protect its animals from further abuse.
“The zoo is in such a condition that it’s no longer a zoo, it’s a concentration camp. When I look those animals in the eyes, I am ashamed to be a human being.”
[Image via WENN.]
