The world's loneliest zoo

[Wonk]

Amid the violence and poverty of the West Bank is a besieged but beautiful animal park, treasured by families on both sides of the divide.

(snip)

"The Arabs and Israelis disagree over many things, but there is no disagreement over animals," Dr Khadr laughs.

But it has not all been plain sailing. The zoo may look as if it has managed to escape the violence all around it, but it has not. The story of the giraffe's death is ample evidence of that. On either side of the zoo lie Palestinian schools. When Israeli incursions were more frequent last year, the boys used to throw stones at the Israeli tanks as they passed. The Israelis responded by shooting them. Sometimes they use rubber-coated steel bullets, which can kill at close range. Sometimes they use live ammunition.

At the sound of gunfire, the giraffe panicked and stampeded. He hit his head on the wall of his enclosure and fell over. Unable to get up, he died - giraffes' blood circulation fails if they fall down. His mate was pregnant at the time. After the shock of the male giraffe's death, she miscarried. It was one of Dr Khadr's lows at the zoo. Others include the time one of the monkeys sliced three of his fingers off on the bars of his cage in panic at the sound of gunfire, and the deaths of the entire collection of zebras - once one of the zoo's main attractions.

The zebras were tear-gassed to death. The Israeli army fired tear gas to disperse a crowd of stone-throwers who had gathered near the zoo. Tear gas is highly poisonous to zebras.

more...
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=472713

[JohnLocke]

1. Wow.

Powerful stuff.

[Resistance]

2. Well, when you're involved in ethnic cleansing

a native population, as the Israeli army is, I guess the local zoo is of minimal concern

[meti57b]

3. The Israeli Army is involved in.......

preventing the ethnic cleansing of Israeli citizens, by those who would like to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.

[bluesoul]

4. The only ones

actually being "wiped out" of their homes and land are the Palestinians. Reality check...

[meti57b]

5. reality check ....

Those being wiped out of their homes are harboring those who are involved in the organized killing and maiming of Israelis and those who host tunnel entrances and exit into Israel, used for that purpose. These are defensive measures against this killing and maiming.

Compensation and exchange of land is planned for lands, taken.

[bluesoul]

6. Oh really

All those people that lost their homes were terrorists? And you have proof for every single one of them? And you agree with collective punishment then, demolishing houses of whole families related to those suicide bombers? So if one person is guilty, his whole family is guilty? Oh swell...

[JohnLocke]

8. Yes, I do.

I support "demolishing houses of whole families related to those suicide bombers." The terrorists should know what will happen to their families if they kill civilians.

[bluesoul]

9. Oh

my...

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

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