#HTE

Animals Rescued From the ‘Worst Zoo in the World’ in Gaza (22 photos)

Four Paws, an international animal welfare group, has just completed the removal of the surviving 15 animals from the Khan Younis Zoo—dubbed the “worst zoo in the world”—in the Gaza Strip.  Years of war, few visitors, and an Israeli blockade made it increasingly difficult to keep the zoo open and the remaining animals healthy—their numbers dwindling from 44 to 15. The zoo’s owner asked for outside help, and an evacuation was organized. A tiger, several monkeys, emus, a porcupine, and other creatures were given veterinary attention and shipped to facilities in Jordan, South Africa, and elsewhere. Khan Younis Zoo, once reduced to displaying the mummified carcasses of animals that had died in their care, has now shut down.