Syria's war has not been kind to the animals at Magic World. As clashes intensified around the amusement park near Aleppo, people struggled to find food and medicine for themselves, let alone for the animals in cages. So last week, an animal charity rescued two bears, three lions, two hyenas and two tigers, driving them 1,000 kilometers to a wildlife reserve in northwestern Turkey where they are receiving medical care in preparation for permanent homes in sanctuaries in the Netherlands and Jordan.
"These animals are trapped," said Dr. Amir Khalil, who heads the effort for Austria-based Four Paws. "They cannot go anywhere. It's very difficult to supply food and medical care."
Doctors said some of the animals, including a female tiger, are in decent shape, all things considered.
"There were some skin lesions. She had a massive load of ticks, ectoparasites," veterinarian Frank Goeritz said. "But due to the fact that she's still young, everything was OK."
Others have more worrisome conditions. One of the tigers went into cardiac arrest when he was tranquilized for an exam, and was resuscitated. Both bears need root canals. One of the hyenas has cataracts and the other has end-stage kidney disease.
But with proper care, both vets are hopeful most of the animals will lead good-quality lives.
"We hope their condition will improve in the coming weeks and months," Khalil said.
A Four Paws team traveled to a Turkish border town on Friday to complete the evacuation of other animals, two lions and two domestic dogs, from the Aleppo zoo. Speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Four Paws spokesman Martin Bauer said they will move the animals, last to remain in the zoo, to their shelter in Turkey on Saturday.
Speaking about the issue, Forestry and Water Affairs Minister Veysel Eroğlu said wildlife is a shared heritage of the international community and they are committed to action plans to rescue such animals. "Turkey has an important place when it comes to biodiversity. We develop plans for endangered animals. We are preparing roadmaps on how to relocate the endangered animals," he said.
Lack of food and personnel in war-torn Syria left the wildlife in Aleppo's zoo and other zoos in Syria in grave danger. Animal rights activists say the zoo's residents were starving to death. Mohammad Alaa Jalel, a Syrian animal rescuer, called upon the international community recently to intervene to save the animals, releasing images of weak animals seeking aid from humans. Aleppo remains in ruins and is a dangerous place after intense clashes throughout the six-year civil war and access to food has been limited for both people and animals. Although charities exert effort, access to violent areas where animals are in danger poses a challenge to many.
