Zoos are a place where the public can visit unique animals and learn more about them. Animals inside of zoos are typically cared for very well by professionals, and are typically given all of the resources they need to live a fulfilling life.
In Venezuela, on the other hand, a poor economy and shortages of food are impacting the well-being of zoo inhabitants, as well as locals.
Image Credit: Reuters/Carlos Jasso
In the first have of this year at Venezuela’s Caricuao Zoo, there have reportedly been up to 50 fatalities related to starvation, as many of the animals just haven’t been getting the food they need.
For the most part, these have been smaller animals, as the zoo focuses feed priorities on the much larger animals that are far more difficult to replace. Reuters reports that of the 50 fallen animals, birds, pigs, rabbits, and tapirs were among them.
With conditions the way they are at this particular zoo, employees are trying to feed the animals what they can, which includes cheaper forms of food, such as plants. Unfortunately, some of the animals are carnivores and they require meat for proper bodily function.
Some organizations in the area are trying to set up a donation system where people can donate unwanted food to go towards feeding the animals. On the other hand, it’s coming up rather dry, as people simply don’t have the food to give due to the current state of the economy.
For what it’s worth, Caricuao Zoo is not the only zoo in the area facing problems. There are actually zoos all around the world that have animals who don’t get fed properly, and often times animals will starve or face critical health problems as a result of their treatment.
There are some plans to move some of the animals from the Caricuao Zoo to a better location where the feeding conditions will be far more stable, but even these plans won’t save all of the zoo’s animals.
Currently, no major animal rights groups have gotten together to free or re-locate the animals, and it seems they may continue to suffer with less-than-optimal feeding until someone steps up to do something about it.
At this time, it just looks gloomy for the poor animals that are stuck in cages without the proper diets they need to function.
Source: National Geographic, Reuters