Harbin, PRC - 30-40 Animal Carcasses Discovered In Pit @ Zoo Include Tigers, Leopards

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A mass grave of animals that died of illness and malnutrition has been found at a zoo in China, state media said Tuesday, again throwing the spotlight on poor conditions at the nation's wildlife parks. The discovery in the northeastern city of Harbin comes just weeks after authorities in Shenyang, also in the northeast, said they were investigating a zoo where three dozen animals had died, amid allegations of parts harvesting.

Workers at the Harbin Northern Forest Zoo dug the three-metre (10-feet) deep pit last year to bury the dead animals, including lions, tigers and leopards, the official Xinhua news agency reported. It was unclear exactly how many had died and over what period, but the report said the pit was believed to contain 30 to 40 carcasses.

Quoting statistics divulged by frustrated employees, the report added that in the first half of 2008, 14 animals -- including endangered white tigers and white lions -- had died from malnutrition.

Zhang Xinru, the deputy head of the feeding department at the zoo, told Xinhua the establishment had decided to make changes to the animals' food regimes in 2007 to save money. Lions and tigers were fed chicken meat and bones to partly replace beef and lamb, and some keepers even gave their lions corn buns instead of meat, the report said.

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Ed. - emphasis added.

http://www.terradaily.com/afp/100330054856.5jbi8z0p.html