Inside ‘World’s sᴀᴅᴅᴇsᴛ zoo’ With ʙʟɪɴᴅ Bear Locked In Cage For 30 Years And ᴍɪsᴇʀᴀʙʟᴇ ᴍᴏɴᴋᴇʏs ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ɪɴ ᴅᴀʀᴋɴᴇss
Brit animal welfare groups are trying to get the centre, which has been given the sɪᴄᴋ ɴᴀᴍᴇ “Salvation Park”, shut down.
Dozens of other animals, including a lioness and monkeys are ʜᴇʟᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴅɪʟᴀᴘɪᴅᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʙᴀʀɴ, were discovered when officials visited the zoo in Armenia.
The owner claims he ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇᴅ the animals from ʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀs and ᴛʀᴀFFɪᴄᴋᴇʀs. But one UK charity described conditions as “sʜᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ and among the ᴡᴏʀsᴛ we’ve seen”.
Among the ᴛʀᴀɢɪᴄ animals is a ʙʟɪɴᴅ bear, nicknamed Nelson, that ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ɪɴ ᴀ sǫᴜᴀʟɪᴅ ᴄᴀɢᴇ with no room to exercise for three ᴅᴇᴄᴀᴅᴇs. His teeth are ʀᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ, but his eyesight could be sᴀᴠᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ.
Sara, a 13-year-old lioness, has been ᴛʀᴀᴘᴘᴇᴅ for seven years in a space no bigger than a garden sʜᴇᴅ, ᴄᴀᴍᴘᴀɪɢɴᴇʀs say. There is also a group of monkeys ʜᴇʟᴅ ɪɴ ᴀ sᴛɪɴᴋɪɴɢ ʙᴀʀɴ without daylight for years – and an eagle unable to spread its wings in a tiny cage.
UK-based International Animal Rescue (IAR) has been trying to savе Nelson the bear but the owner Armen Tadevosyan, 71, refuses to give him up. He claims his animals are well looked after at the zoo in Armavir a small town 25 miles west of Armenia’s capital, Yerevan.
IAR president, Alan Knight OBE, said: “The conditions these ᴘᴏᴏʀ ᴀɴɪᴍᴀʟs ᴀʀᴇ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ sʜᴏʀᴛ ᴏF ʜᴇʟʟ ᴏɴ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ.
We’ve been trying to rеscuе the bear, who we called Nelson, for months now with no success, but clearly all the animals in so-called Salvation Park are in urgent need of proper care and attention.” an animal welfare organisation saidThere is no excuse for such ᴄʀᴜᴇʟᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴇɢʟᴇᴄᴛ and there will be a public ᴏᴜᴛᴄʀʏ when people read about it. Hopefully public pressure will ᴘᴇʀsᴜᴀᴅᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴠᴇʀɴᴍᴇɴᴛ to close the park and start the animals on the road to a better, happier life.
We’ve been trying to rеscuе the bear, who we called Nelson, for months now with no success, but clearly all the animals in so-called Salvation Park are in urgent need of proper care and attention.” an animal welfare organisation saidThere is no excuse for such ᴄʀᴜᴇʟᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴇɢʟᴇᴄᴛ and there will be a public ᴏᴜᴛᴄʀʏ when people read about it. Hopefully public pressure will ᴘᴇʀsᴜᴀᴅᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴠᴇʀɴᴍᴇɴᴛ to close the park and start the animals on the road to a better, happier life.
“That is the only ʜᴜᴍᴀɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀssɪᴏɴᴀᴛᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ ᴏF ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ.”