MISERABLE

Jong-un rules with an iron fist. We yesterday exposed the startling difference between the gleaming capital city Pyongyang, home to three million of the “elite”, and the desolate countryside, where some 20 million farm workers scratch out an existence.

And we showed how citizens slavishly consume the propagandafuelled rhetoric constantly pumped out by Jong-un and his cronies, while the country is battered by some of the world’s harshest sanctions.

Our probe proves Jong-un’s regime thinks nothing of spending millions on creating a dystopian image of perfection while abandoning basic values and rights for humans and animals.

Dr Chris Draper, head of welfare at animal rights organisation Born Free Foundation, said the zoo was “totally inappropriate” for all the animals. He said: “Their cages are small, bare and there is no means of retreat from public view for them. It is most alarming to see the mother [tiger] and stillborn cub. There should’ve been a vet on the scene straight away.

“There should have been intervention prior to this horrendous situation and, at the very least, immediate action should have been taken after the birth to establish why it occurred.”

Humane Society International’s Wendy Higgins said: “This is a devastating, rare insight into the shockingly poor existence of animals at this zoo. [They] are confined to heartbreakingly small enclosures, often almost entirely barren, in which all they can do is pace or swim the same circular route. “Tigers, lions, sea lions and turtles all have complex, specific environmental needs that are essential for their mental and physical wellbeing, and here we have a classic example of a facility that meets virtually none of those needs.

“It’s little wonder that we see big cats here demonstrating stereotypical repetitive cage pacing, classic signs of mental distress as the animals struggle to cope with the monotony and deprivation.

“This kind of zoo teaches nothing of the true nature of these animals

ON THE STILLBORN TIGER