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He's a survivor: Wise monkey seems to reflect on his crisis-stricken zoo

This wise looking monkey may be a little world weary after the year his home zoo has had. He is one of the survivors of a diminished animal population after a political crisis and rioting prevented visitors from getting to the zoo, and mismanagement and lack of funds resulted in the animals not being properly fed and cared for. According to a recent article from First News in the UK, "the zoo has
A monkey who survived the Ivorian post-electoral crisis looks out from it's enclosure at the Abidjan Zoo on July 29.
A monkey who survived the Ivorian post-electoral crisis looks out from it's enclosure at the Abidjan Zoo on July 29.Issouf Sanogo / AFP - Getty Images
By Carissa Ray

This wise looking monkey may be a little world weary after the year his home zoo has had. He is one of the survivors of a diminished animal population after a political crisis and rioting prevented visitors from getting to the zoo, and mismanagement and lack of funds resulted in the animals not being properly fed and cared for. According to a recent article from First News in the UK, "the zoo has re-opened and the old director resigned, but still doesn't have enough money to properly feed the animals. Most are surviving on donations of fruit an bread."

As AFP - Getty reports: One year after the death of five dromedaries (Arabian camels) offered by Moamer Kadhafi to the zoo, three lions were the collateral victims of the Ivorian political crisis. The lions named Lea, Simba and Loulou coming from Ethiopia, "died of hunger", said Claude-Sie Kam, a zoo employee, to an AFP reporter. About forty animals perished due to lack of food at the Abidjan Zoo during the Ivorian crisis. The Abidjan Zoo is the only zoo in Ivory Coast and one of the largest in western Africa, and was opened in 1930.