The Israel haters are out in full force, doing their usual lying thing.
Or should that be lion?
At least they didn’t blame us for the weather. This time.
But really? Going to blame the deaths of the lions at least partially on us?
The Daily Mail deals with this story, but inadvertently gives away more than I guess they wanted – by including some photos of the lion enclosures.
But is that cage large enough?
According to this paper, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) minimum prescribed size for a lion enclosure is 6000 sq.ft. or 557 sq. meters.
Although we cannot see full cage, it is clear the Gaza one in the Daily Mail report is nowhere near this. It is perhaps 10-20 sq. meter maximum.
Although requirements vary among different countries, it seems clear these lions were confined in way too small a space.
While I am no veterinarian and cannot rule definitively as to cause of death, why are the Daily Mail and others blindly accepting the palestinian claims, without noticing what I have mentioned? Could it be that the zookeeper did not properly look after them?
After all:
In some species of carnivore which have large home ranges, inappropriate enclosure sizes have had detrimental effects on animal welfare, including the development of stereotypies and high infant mortality rates (Clubb and Mason 2007).
It would seem real journalism is as dead as these lions.
hat tip: Tommy
