In the midst of the upheaval in Venezuela, the Zulia Metropolitan Zoological Park in Maracaibo has had a number of animals taken from the property. Police believe they were stolen for food.
Venezuela is experiencing a number of crises, including extreme economic hardship, food shortages, rampant hunger, and the possible threat of being taken over by a dictatorship, notes Forbes.
In the midst of the upheaval, the Zulia Metropolitan Zoological Park in Maracaibo has had a number of animals taken from the property, reports Sky News.
Police believe people have been stealing the animals for food.
The zoo’s chief disagrees, saying drug dealers are responsible and suggesting their intention is to sell them, according to Reuters.
Sky News notes that animals that have disappeared include two collared peccaries, which resemble pigs, and two tapirs classified as being “vulnerable to extinction.”
Thieves have reportedly targeted a number of creatures belonging to other species as well, one of which, a buffalo, was cut into pieces.
Meanwhile, a zoo in Caracas is said to have suffered significant losses last year, but under different circumstances.
It has been asserted that 50 animals there died of starvation, an allegation that the government denies.
