Kuwait ships food to Baghdad zoo's hungry big cats
Date: 22-Apr-03
Country: QATAR
Monkeys, bears, horses, birds and camels were carted off by thieves or left to roam the streets after cages were prised open during the looting which followed the collapse of Saddam Hussein's rule.
Only lions and tigers, too dangerous to steal, were left, witnesses said. Zookeepers warn they have not been fed for days.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Central Command war headquarters in Qatar said fruit, vegetables, meat and dry food donated by the Kuwait government arrived in Baghdad on the weekend, but she did not know if the consignment had reached the starving animals.
The Kuwait Zoo, Kuwaiti government and a number of private organisations have offered to provide long-term support for the Baghdad zoo, the spokeswoman said.