50 Animals Die As Venezuelan Zoo Runs Out Of Food

A lion naps at Caracas zoo (Reuters)

As many as 50 animals have starved to death at a Venezuelan zoo in the first half of this year because of chronic food shortages in the country.

Vietnamese pigs, tapirs, rabbits and birds are among the animals to die of starvation at the Caricuao Zoo in the capital Caracas.

The zoo also houses tigers and lions, which are apparently surviving on mango and pumpkin because of a lack of meat.

Venezuela is in the grip of an economic crisis (Reuters)

‘The story of the animals at Caricuao is a metaphor for Venezuelan suffering,’ said Marlene Sifontes, a union leader for workers state park employees.

A deep recession means many in Venezuela cannot afford or buy everyday goods such as flour or milk as supermarket shelves stand bare.

Earlier this year there was also a shortage of toilet paper.

The zoo still attracts visitors (Reuters)

More seriously, hospitals are also ill-equipped to deal with the sick.

The Venezuelan government cannot imported much-needed goods as it has little cash.