Baracoa Zoo runs out of animals and food for the birds.

In the midst of the widespread crisis in Cuba, the Ruperto Anfiloquio Suárez Castellanos zoo, located in the El Guamá area of Baracoa, has lost its most attractive animals and also has no food for the birds that still survive.

Ángel Rolando Tavera Sourt, the director of the park, told local Radio Baracoa that the facility has lost its appeal due to the absence of animals that used to attract many people, such as the hippopotamus Eric, the giraffe, the ostriches, and the zebras.

He also said that the zoo has structural problems in the bird cages, which were severely affected by Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

Two years ago, a disease also caused the death of a large number of birds, further decreasing the population of the enclosure.

But in the context of the widespread food crisis on the island, the most pressing issue is the lack of feed for the remaining live animals, Tavera Sourt indicated.

He explained that the distribution of food was interrupted from Santiago de Cuba, affecting the birds that depend on the feed in the zoo.

Finally, the executive pointed out the lack of funding, which could help restore the area's appeal, he affirmed.

The testimonies that emerge on social networks from both visitors and officials indicate that the critical situation of the vast majority of Cuban zoos turns them into places of animal mistreatment, where they are poorly fed and lacking proper medical attention.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that the animals at the Bartolomé Masó Zoo in Manzanillo, Granma province, are suffering from a lack of food and show a critical state of malnutrition and extreme weakness.

An article from the independent newspaper 14ymedio revealed the disastrous conditions in which the lions, iguanas, monkeys, and other animals at the zoo find themselves, victims of the shortage of suitable food for their respective diets, due to the severe economic crisis Cuba is experiencing, which impacts food availability for both the population and the animals.

Another citizen complaint via social media in February showed that the crocodiles and turtles at the Sancti Spíritus zoo remain in empty ponds due to a lack of water.

A Cuban YouTuber also denounced the scarcity and mistreatment that animals suffer in the well-known 26 Zoo in Havana. Literally Cuban, as the communicator identifies himself, toured the large facility, where he was able to confirm that the few specimens still there are malnourished and some even have no water at all.