Charities Aid Libya’s Big Cats

Tripoli's citizens, and its infrastructure, have suffered greatly in the battles between forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi and rebel fighters.

However, the animals in the capital’s zoo have also paid a price.

The animals are now relying on aid provided by charities as the uncertainty continues in post-Qaddafi Libya.

From his native South Africa, Jeremy Mansfield, a television personality and representative of charity ‘Four Paws,’ discusses the situation at the zoo.

"Well, I mean, if you look at the zoo itself, the structural part of the zoo, it's a world-class zoo." he said, "Obviously there's a fair amount of refurbishment that needs to be done. The work was stopped during the civil war. But the facilities that they've got are absolutely magnificent."

Lions are coaxed with pieces of raw chicken into cages as injections are prepared by the director of the zoo, Dr Abdul Fatar Hosni. The immunization are designed to maintain the cats’ immune systems.

"As you know, at the peak of the war, because the zoo is in Al-Nasr forest, it's besides Bab Al Aziziyah, about 500 meters, not more. So all the war is around the zoo, so there is a lot of bombings, a lot of noise, so most of the animals become nervous, you know. After that they adapt a little bit, but we have some sick animals due to the war, due to the bombs," he said.

One of the tigers became so frightened that it chewed its tail off, and now faces surgery.

"As you know we have a shortage of water before, shortage of food, we have no money to get the food, no funds. The new government is not stable," Dr. Hosni said.

The zoo is closed to the public at the moment, but hopes to reopen with help from various charities.


With 38 lions to look after, not to mention countless other species, the cost of medication and food has been a struggle for the zoo.