Zookeepers at the Giza Zoo in Egypt accidentally killed three black bears and officials then tried to cover up their negligence. A local newspaper, Al Watan, uncovered their deception and now activists are calling to close all seven government zoos due to prolonged abuse of wild animals throughout the system.

 

After three black bears died overnight on May 5, 2013 at the Giza zoo in Egypt, officials released an official report claiming that they had mauled each other to death.

 

Suspicious of the various inconsistencies revealed in the in-house pathology report, local press and animal activists decided to investigate further.

 

An anonymous witness revealed that the zookeepers tranquilized the three bears in advance of the Sham el Nessem Easter holiday that attracts up to 70,000 people.

 

But instead of calming down the bears to cope with the human mob, the zookeepers administered too much of the sedative and two of them subsequently tried to climb out of their enclosures and fell, and the third bear drowned.

 

And then, Instead of owning up to their mistakes, Giza Zoo attempted to cover up their mistakes with a bogus statement published on their Facebook page.

 

While it is easy to blame zookeepers for tragedies like these, which have occurred consistently, activists warn that the problem is more complicated than that.

 

“The zoo keepers are given very low monthly salaries, around EGP 200,” according to Occupy For Animals.

 

“To make ends meet, they depend on tips from visitors who, in turn, require tricks from the animals. The keepers have to care about the animals because they are their livelihoods. Unlike zoo keepers aboard, they are not given any awareness or animal behavior courses.”

 

The group is calling for the closure of all seven zoos. If you want to help, visit Occupy for Animals.