The Gaza zoo, dubbed "the worst zoo in the world", has closed after all its animals were transferred to Israel in a complex operation involving a rare case of co-operation between Israel and the Hamas authorities in Gaza.
A Bengal tiger, monkeys, an emu, a pelican, two ostriches and a porcupine were among the animals rescued from the zoo – which could no longer function after repeated wars and a shortage of visitors.
The zoo, in the southern city of Khan Yunis, was once home to 65 animals, but only 15 remained when operation safari was successfully completed on Wednesday night, with the help of the Four Paws international animal welfare organisation.
Laziz, an eight-year-old tiger, was flown to South Africa, to start a new life at the Lion's Rock Big Cat Sanctuary.
Most of the animals were transferred to an animal park in neighbouring Jordan but the monkeys will remain at a sanctuary in Israel.
“Gaza is not the best place to open a zoo. During the last Gaza war, enclosures were hit and animals died. Standards in general were very low and, due to a lack of money, animals were starving and they didn’t receive the medical treatment they should have,” said Four Paws head of programmes Indra Kley, who was in Gaza to supervise the operation.
She said the Four Paws team not only had to co-ordinate between Israel and the Gaza authorities, but were forced to change their plans at the last minute when Israel bombed Gaza on the first night they arrived in response to a militant rocket landing in Israel.
“It was very, very difficult to deal with all the parties. We had to deal not only with the Israelis and Palestinians but also with Jordan and South Africa, but everyone had the goal to get the animals out and to give them a better life and give them a chance, and we really appreciate that.”
The Gaza zoo had been criticised for mummifying animals that died and displaying them next to the living animals.
Unfortunately, the rescue operation came too late to save a baby deer that died from wound complications, due to lack of proper treatment two days before the rest of the animals passed through the Erez crossing into Israel.