GAZA. A six-year-old boy has died from bites by a caged lioness in the southern Gaza Strip, authorities in the small Palestinian territory have announced. The boy climbed over a security fence at the Asda resort complex in Khan Younis and then entered the feline’s cage, which attacked him, according to police, who have opened an investigation. According to a witness, the lioness bit the head of the boy, who had snuck into the cage after finding a hole in the fence. The boy was taken to hospital where he died, a medical source said.
The Asda holiday complex is home to two big cats – a lion and a lioness – and many birds. After the tragedy, it was closed today by the authorities. The city of Khan Younis is infamous for hosting what animal rights NGO Four Paws has called the ‘worst zoo in the world‘. Opened in 2007, the zoo was closed in 2016 when the owners found it difficult to get food and left many animals to starve. The Gaza Strip, a micro-territory of 2.3 million people, suffers from a poverty rate of around 60%, exacerbated by Israel’s strict blockade since 2007.