Venezuelan Police Believe Zoo Animals Are Being Used for Food
Police in Venezuela are investigating a case of missing zoo animals.
Zuila is located in the western part of the country and is where a large number of creatures have been stolen. It’s speculated that the animals are being stolen in order to be used as food. Pretty gruesome, right? Sadly, the main reason why this is happening is due to food shortages in the area.
So far, the missing animals include “two collared peccaries, which are similar in appearance to boars” as well as two tapirs that look similar to a pig and are on the extinction list says the Huffington Post.
Ten other species have also been murdered for food. One of which was a buffalo was cut into pieces. Employees at the zoo believe it is drug dealers who are looking to make a profit during this trying time.
The Guardian reports that the official for the Zulia division of the National Police believes “they [were taken] with the intention of eating them”. Many locals are malnourished due to a “collapse of the country’s socialist economic model”.
Thieves stealing Venezuela zoo animals to eat them, say police https://t.co/qc3I0I1SH5
— Joe Rich (@joerichlaw) September 14, 2017
Those people who cannot find food are looking elsewhere for resources. Hungry Venezuelans have been caught looking through trashcans and dumpster in order to find a bit of food that would curb their hunger.
To make matters worse, not only are humans in the area starving, but so are the zoo animals. A food shortage also means that there are no available scraps for the residents at the zoological park. The animals are all vulnerable to starve to death as well as being stolen.
Even though there are various reports about the starving animals, no everyone believes what is happening. The Venezuelan Government denies that the zoo creatures are being treated “life family.”
The people and animals of Venezuela are in our thoughts.
Sarah is a Hufflepuff living in NYC. When she is not traveling or talking to random animals, she is working as a script writer. Tweet her at @lumpyspacederp
