Monkeys and camels were among many animals killed by Israeli fire at a Gaza zoo. The Gaza Zoo reeks of death, a month ago, it was attracting families - he says the zoo drew up to 1000 visitors each day. He points at the foot-long hole in the camel in one of the enclosures. "This camel was pregnant, a missile went into her back," he tells us. "Look, look at her face. She was in pain when she died." Around every corner, inside almost every cage are dead animals, who have been lying in their cages since the Israeli incursion. Qasim doesn't understand why they chose to destroy his zoo. And it's difficult to disagree with him. Most of them have been shot at point blank range. "The first thing the Israelis did was shoot at the lions - the animals ran out of their cage and into the office building. Actually they hid there." The two lions are back in their enclosure. The female is pregnant, and lies heavily on the ground, occasionally swishing her tail. Qasim stands unusually close to them, but they don't seem bothered by his presence. As he takes us around, he is obviously appalled at the state of the animals. The few animals that have survived appear weak and disturbed. "The foxes ate each other because we couldn't get to them in time. We had many here." There are carcasses everywhere and the last surviving fox is quivering in the corner. The zoo opened in late 2005, with money from local and international NGOs. There were 40 types of animals, a children's library, a playground ...
Tags: pakistan, israel, hamas, gaza, west, bank, egypt, turkey, idf, china, america, navy
