15 animals rescued from Gaza zoo:

An international charity on Wednesday

removed 15 animals from a Gaza Strip zoo, freeing them from stifling conditions in what it called “the worst zoo in the world” and hoping to grant them a better life abroad.

Four Paws, an animal welfare group, crossed from Gaza into Israel with a tiger, five monkeys, a porcupine and an emu, among others. Most of the animals are destined for an animal sanctuary in Jordan while the tiger is headed to a refuge in South Africa.

The animals’ removal effectively closed

the long-troubled zoo.

The charity said the Khan Younis zoo suffered financial difficulties earlier this year and couldn’t provide the animals with proper care and food. After the zoo owner asked the organization for help, Four Paws provided food and medical checks. It was later decided that the animals would be transferred elsewhere.

“The conditions the animals were under were very far from ideal,” said Amir Khalil, who is leading the Gaza mission for Four Paws. Their new homes will be

“a big change.” There is little awareness of animal welfare in Gaza and the impoverished territory’s zoos have in the past made international headlines. The Khan Younis zoo turned to taxidermy to keep its deceased animals on exhibit while another zoo in the strip painted stripes on donkeys to try and make them look like zebras. (AP)