Gaddafi Animals Rescued At Wadi Bai (VIDEO)

Volunteers raced to the aid of animals left to die at Wadi Bai, Muammar Gaddafi's animal farm west of Sirte. Rare-breed camels, hybrid cattle, and hundreds of ostriches were among the abandoned animals. Reuters' Deborah Lutterbeck reports:

"Fighters loyal to Libya's interim government found around 500 ostriches on the site, abandoned without food or water."

Rebel commander Abu Bakr Essa told Reuters that the ostriches' numbers had diminished from around 1,000. Belgasem Al Sosi, a veterinarian now caring for the animals, said that many had died from hunger and thirst, and that "several lay collapsed in one sweltering pen, either dead and rotting or too weak to stand."

This is not the only menagerie Gaddafi left behind when he fled the country. In September, CNN's Nic Robertson found starving lions pacing in their cages in Tripoli Zoo. According to The Times Of Malta, "a Siberian tiger -- called Osama -- died because of stress and also because of its age. The Hippos barely survived because of the shortage of water, but they are now recovering." The Times Of Malta reports that several animal welfare organizations are now providing aid to the zoo.

Between Gaddafi and his sons, the family has a rather extensive collection of animals. According to The Guardian, Saadi Gaddafi personally owned nine lions in Tripoli zoo, and son Saif al-Islam kept exotic animals at his farmhouse.

Watch Reuters' report below:

Comments

[Mercedes]

05:32 PM on 10/19/2011

One day there will be NO more animals to abuse and starve. They will be at Rainbow Bridge in Heaven Forever!

[lambdin1]

02:44 PM on 10/06/2011

What a mess this family has left behind! I doubt that Daffy Gaddafy is anywhere in Libya.

[GirlUsingBrain]

01:17 PM on 10/06/2011

These kinds of private zoos are usually stocked by poachers. Terrible.

[AnimalAbusers]

03:32 PM on 10/06/2011

This is really no doffrent from any North American zoo. Zoo in the US have also encountered flooding or situations out of their control where they leave the animals chained or locked up. One good example is the elephant "Sissy" http://www.elephants.com/sissy/sissyBio.php or the recent petstore flooding ...people will save their asses first

[Neil20]

12:02 PM on 10/06/2011

Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein had a lot of things in common among which was their penchant for collecting animals. Saddam Hussein also left his animals behind and many of them died because of hunger, ailments and negligence. The only hope for these animals in Libya is when more volunteers respond to the call to save them. I hope people come in droves to help not only Gaddafi's animals but all animals in cities and zoos that are stricken by the Libyan civil war.

[ckdogs]

11:37 AM on 10/06/2011

Ghaddafi was cruel to humans, so it is not surprising that he is cruel to helpless animals as well.
A sad story all around. Thanks to the kind souls who are taking care of them.

[Ecolke]

09:54 AM on 10/06/2011

Thank you, thank you, to all who have stepped up to care for these victims without a voice.

[frank day]

09:16 AM on 10/06/2011

Is there a living thing that Gadaffi didn't use for his pleasure and power madness??

[lawrence of america]

01:11 PM on 10/06/2011

his wife.

[ncconcernedcitizen]

08:41 AM on 10/06/2011

More signs of the destructive nature of the Obama war in Libya.

[Neil Pharr]

08:40 AM on 10/06/2011

good work

[Neil Pharr]

08:40 AM on 10/06/2011

We humans fail to understand/realize the existential value of ALL live.

[Neil Pharr]

07:44 PM on 10/06/2011

a google of neohumansim will help to understand, sadhana will help to realize

[Donald Locke]

08:09 AM on 10/06/2011

Mmmmm...ostriches taste awesome

[LeftLeanWing]

08:03 AM on 10/06/2011

They rescued Lady Gaga ?

[Robert Frank]

07:28 AM on 10/06/2011

another nut-job who loves animals so much he abandoned them...he's probably hiding in a cardboard box somewhere now beating his meat while looking at a picture of himself

[Candide33]

06:05 AM on 10/06/2011

I love those Reuters' videos, they are always so well done and usually topics that you will not see elsewhere.

[Dan1902]

01:57 AM on 10/06/2011

Some of wars silent victims.