Tuesday April 22, 2003 The Guardian
Four starving lions which escaped from Baghdad zoo were shot dead by US troops after two of the animals charged at them.
The lions, which had not been fed for days, escaped from their outdoor pen through a crumbling wall at the
weekend, said Sergeant Matthew Oliver, of the 3rd Infantry Division. "Two of them charged our guys," he added. "We had to take them down."
The zoo was home to seven lions, two tigers and hundreds of other animals, nearly all of which were stolen or let loose by looters. Only the big cats were
left, apparently too fierce for the looters. Three lions and two tigers remain in the zoo.
"The zookeeper came the next day and he was pretty cut
up, but I think he understood," said Sgt Oliver.
The surviving animals, who went unfed for more than 10
days in the confusion that followed the collapse of Saddam Hussein's rule, now have regular meals of meat donated by Kuwait.
Mandor the Siberian tiger, the property of Saddam's eldest son Uday, looked plumper and healthier than he did last week, while Sudqa the lioness appeared contented in her cage.
The zoo is protected by US soldiers and four armoured personnel carriers. Sgt Oliver said zoo staff came daily to feed and care for the animals.
Two brown bears, released by looters, wandered back to
the zoo at the weekend. Sgt Oliver said Baghdad residents had also returned two hybrid dogs, but otherwise the compound was a sad, desolate place. Monkeys, bears, horses, birds and camels have disappeared from the zoo.
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URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,940734,00.html
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