Gaza zoo stuffs dead animals to cope with shortages This improvisation is the latest solution dreamt up by Gaza's five zoos to avoid the hefty costs of importing new animals. In 2009, another zoo in Gaza city resorted to painting a donkey with zebra stripes to replace two zebras killed during the Israeli offensive, which it could not afford to replace. When militant group Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel closed the Palestinian enclave's air, land and sea borders leaving zoo owners no option but to bring exotic animals through tunnels from Egypt. Conditions for those who reached Khan Yunis wildlife park are particularly grim. There is no zoo keeper on the premises, so sick animals are treated remotely over the phone by vets in Egypt. Yet it is one of the overcrowded, besieged region's few public attractions. Dr Saud Shawa, who runs a private veterinary clinic in Gaza City, blames both the Israeli blockade, which has led to a shortage of vaccines, and negligence on the part of Gaza's authorities for the animals' woeful condition. The animals brought through the tunnels from Egypt without any supervision or veterinary control and are often already sick. There is a critical shortage of vaccines here, many are completely unavailable. This along with the ignorance of people keeping these animals without any training in animal welfare [are to blame]," Dr Shawa explained. But at least some of the animals are still healthy, despite the difficulties we face here. We are doing our best with the limited facilities we have.