It started a couple of years back when Israeli bombs, closed borders and insufficient basic care for the zoo animals resulted into an apt storm of suffering for the creatures.
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“The conditions the animals were under were very far from ideal”, said Amir Khalil, who headed the Gaza mission for Four Paws, adding that their new homes would be “a big change”.
In the past, the Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza and Border Crossing Authority sent special cages and medical supplies into Gaza in order to help the zoo provide the animals with the best care.
Now just 15 animals remain including a gazelle, pelicans, as well as the monkeys, porcupines and tiger.
The 15 remaining animals rescued by the Four Paws global animal welfare group included a tiger, porcupines, an emu and five monkeys.
But on Wednesday they will take the road to Israel and then to Jordan.
Now, they along with 13 other animal inmates are going to be moved to Jordan where almost all of them will be re-housed in an animal park.
The full horrific tale of animals began in 2007 when almost 90% of the animals were illegally taken into the hermetically closed territory via the tunnels Hamas fighters dug to transport food, fuel, weapons, and medicines.
Wednesday’s transfer leaves the zoo empty and it will now be closed. “I brought these animals from Libya, Sudan, Egypt and even South Africa to Gaza”.
Zoo owner Ziad Aweda blamed the zoo’s problems on “the harsh conditions of life, the weak economy and the severe blockade”.
All that will remain of the zoo are the stuffed carcasses of some the animals that died of starvation.
The almost two million residents of Gaza are also suffering and find it hard to get permits to travel to Israel, which has maintained a blockade on the enclave for a decade. But a seven-week war between Israel and Palestinian militants in 2014 prevented him getting enough food for the animals, many of which had been smuggled to the Gaza Strip through tunnels from Egypt.
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The Israeli blockade of the enclave and Egypt’s closed border have suffocated the economy, with Gazans no finding it more and more hard to find money for leisure.
