Activists: Hundreds of Animal Dying at Kiev Zoo

The Kiev Zoo was once a source of pride for Ukraine's capital city, but activists are now crying foul against what hardly seems like an animal sanctuary.

Animal rights groups say that possibly hundreds of animals have died at the Kiev Zoo in recent years as a result of poor living conditions, malnutrition and inadequate medical care, The Associated Press reports.

In this Monday, April 26, 2010 file photo, Boy, a 39-year-old Indian elephant lies in his pen covered with a cloth after it collapsed and died.

UNIAN / AP

Boy, a 39-year-old Indian elephant, lies in his pen covered with a cloth after collapsing and dying at the Kiev Zoo in April. Animal welfare groups say dozens if not hundreds of animals have died at the zoo in recent years from malnutrition, a lack of medical care and mistreatment.

The 100-year-old zoo's casualties include a collapsed Indian elephant named Boy; Maya the camel, who succumbed to digestive illness; and Theo the zebra, who suffered a fatal encounter with a metal fence.

One activist even called the park, home to 2,600 creatures from 328 species, an animal concentration camp.

Despite the negativity, zoo director Oleksiy Tolstoukhov is quick to defend the institution.

"It's not as bad as they say," Tolstoukhov said. "In all the zoos, including in Europe, animals don't live a million years. They also die and get sick."

In October, owners replaced the zoo's management in an effort to repair the park's tarnished reputation. And while the new operators will point to their predecessors' horrendous track record, as well as a government audit showing reckless spending and illegally sold animals, the zoo's wildlife continues to perish.

"The Kiev Zoo will never attain any basic standards, it's so far removed from any zoo in Europe," John Ruane of Naturewatch, a nonprofit animal welfare group. "The conditions have been absolutely horrendous, and no matter how many more directors were appointed the situation still remained the same."

One theory proposed by activists is that the animals are dying off as part of a secret initiative to position the zoo for bankruptcy and sell off its valuable property at the center of Kiev. Ukrainian prosecutors have opened an investigation.

Read more from The Associated Press.

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