Cuba zoo struggles to feed nearly 1,000 animals

Cuba's National Zoo is relying on staff efforts and private food donations to keep nearly 1,000 animals fed as fuel shortages, blackouts and transport disruption strain the reserve outside Havana.

The 345-hectare park, about 20 kilometers from central Havana, houses rhinos, jaguars, tigers, hippos and other vulnerable or endangered species. Yoel Machado, the zoo's animal welfare manager, said workers travel by bicycle, pedal scooter or electric motorbike to make sure the animals get food and water each day.

The shortages have forced staff to ration supplies. Angel Cordero, the veterinarian in charge of big cats, said two Bengal tiger cubs, including a rare white tiger, “could be in better shape” and that their food has to be managed so it does not run out. Adult big cats need about seven kilograms of meat a day, but meat is hard to obtain and blackouts make preservation difficult.

Zoo director Juan Carlos Corella said the reserve recently went 23 days without electricity and also lacked running water. He said staff brought in water trucks and found food for the animals almost daily, while acknowledging that keeping the park open has become very difficult.

The zoo has also lost more than a third of its veterinarians to better-paid work elsewhere. Machado said the park has slowed breeding programs because each new animal requires more food, medicine and staff, even as recent births have included tigers, hyenas, jackals and a black dromedary.