Zoo Animals Caught in the Crossfire in Gaza

War leads to devastation and waste.  But this is one lesson of history that has been avoided by man since time immemorial. And as always there are hapless victims of this tragedy.

Animals at  the  Al- Bisan Zoo in Jabalya, northern Gaza, have been caught in the crossfire of the war between Palestine and Israel .The zoo has been hit by airstrikes a number of times during the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas militants, according to CNN.

Some of the scenes at the zoo are too heart rending to be told.  

A baboon  sits in a small cage  near the carcass of his mate and five offsprings, silently picking seeds from the floor near the decomposing bodies, according to the report . 

"Eight to 10 monkeys were killed," said Abu Sameer, the zoo's chief veterinarian. "Also a peacock, a gazelle, a lion, and a fox," he added.

A dead peacock lay in front of two hungry lions. A lone crocodile lounged in a waterless enclosure, which also had a pelican and duck.

As the zoo does not have funds to buy food, the animals have not eaten for many days. This is in addition to the injuries the animals suffered as a result of the conflict.

 "The situation is very bad," said Sameer to CNN. "We can't get the animals out to clean the cages. Many of them are getting sick because they are weak and it is dirty. But we don't have any alternative places."

The plight of the lions is more pathetic as they have not been fed  for nearly 15 days, he said.

Media person bought some chicken to feed the lions and the animals reacted with a roar and took turns to eat and charged at anyone  who approached the cage while they were eating.

The Zoo was Built in 2008,by Hamas , as a tourist attraction to give relief to the people in Gaza.

The tunnels linking Egypt with Gaza were used to smuggle animals to the zoo, till it was shut last year after the ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, according to Mirror.co.uk.