Baghdad zoo shows off new tigers
A pair of rare Bengal tiger cubs are settling in at Baghdad zoo after being donated by a US animal sanctuary, despite protests the war would put them at risk.
The tigers – a male and a female named Riley and Hope – frolicked with balls in a paddling pool and playfully wrestled with each other in their cage today as delighted Iraqis strolled by.
The animals, from the North Carolina-based Conservators’ Centre were flown to Baghdad in a trip funded by the US Embassy.
Like many other Iraqi institutions, the zoo is struggling to emerge from years of devastation and officials showed off the tigers as proof of progress.
“This is a good day for the tigers, the zoo and the people of Iraq,” zoo director Adel Salman Mousa said.
But animal rights activists led by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said the move was premature as Baghdad continued to suffer from violence and destroyed infrastructure.
They also pointed to past violence against the animals, many of which were killed amid widespread fighting and looting that came after the Americans captured Baghdad.
A US soldier shot and killed a tiger at the zoo in September 2003 after the animal bit another soldier who had reached through the bars of the cage to feed it.
“Our heart goes out to the two tigers who had to endure the long trip to Iraq and a dangerous future at the Baghdad Zoo,” said a Peta spokeswoman.
“These tigers will be caged, helpless, and completely dependent on humans to survive in an area where many people live in fear and are still without access to basic necessities.”
