Baghdad Zoo in Tatters After Looting

Washington Post ^ | May 5, 2003 | Louis Meixler - AP

[Chirodoc]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saedia, the blind bear, sleeps huddled in the fetal position in the corner of a small metal enclosure. An angry black dog lives in the bird cage, and the lynx was last seen roaming around a nearby highway overpass.

The Baghdad zoo is in tatters. Looters have stolen or turned loose almost all the animals, and the dozen remaining have been so short of food that lions have been snacking on military rations U.S. soldiers toss inside their cages.

It's a situation U.S. soldiers and aid groups are trying to change.

[CWOJackson]

"Saedia, the blind bear, sleeps huddled in the fetal position in the corner of a small metal enclosure."

The very first sentence. How could the United States inflict this misery on poor, old, blind Saedia?

[Brian S]

I wonder? Do the Iraqis know enough to marinade and barbeque? George, is it time to introduce them to fajitas! ;)

[Mister Baredog]

An angry black dog lives in the bird cage,

No wonder the bird "moved on".

[Constitution Day]

"FEMALE ANIMALS AND ENDANGERED SPECIES HARDEST HIT"

[UB355]

Oh the humanity !!!!

[freedomlover]

"Saedia, the blind bear, sleeps huddled in the fetal position in the corner of a small metal enclosure."

I'm no animal expert but I bet some of the happiest bears in the world sleep in the fetal position.

[CWOJackson]

You have to give them credit for trying to stir emotions.

It was a "blind" bear. They U.S. soldiers took away it's white cane!

[piasa]

This is a bit dated. The Kuwaitis sent a big load of meat and other grub for the zoo critters.

[Lauratealeaf]

Baghdad Zoo in Tatters After Looting

Wow! This sort of makes me think of the looting that happened to the zoo in Little Rock when the politicians took money from it to buy the land for the Clinton library.

[Contra]

Who gives a sh!t about zoos and museums? It would be like if PBS was in ruins, who would even notice or care, and in fact, it's not such a bad thing anyway. Let PETA go over there and help out the animals.

[Captiva]

Have a heart. The photo of that bear is pretty darn sad.

[Steven W.]

it is / was but those animals were subjected to a long life under Saddam, under whose care the left couldn't have cared less about.

[Redwood71]

You think that bear is bad? Maybe you should have been subjected to pictures of the women and children that were tortured because their husbands and fathers wouldn't strap a bomb to themselves and detinate themselves to take out a few infidels. That is sad, and damned ugly!

[hoot2]

"Looters have stolen or turned loose almost all the animals"

dang...peta is everywhere.
they let all these "creatures" run free...
in the mine field...

[hoot2]

"Saedia, the blind bear..."

thought it was a blind deer...
that would make more sense for saddam's zoo...
that he has no eye deer...

[gcruse]

Who gives a sh!t about zoos and museums?

I give a shit about zoos.  As for the article, the front
page of the current New York Times online has a nice
positive story about the Baghdad zoo.

[VVS]

I hope americans didn't press the animals too hard about Uday Hussein's whereabouts. You have to respect superior
values of zoo animals compared to those of their 2-legged
countrymen, who were scurrying all over the city, amazingly ant-like, with looted goods of much larger size than they were themselves.

[xrp]

This is all Bush's fault! Why didn't he dispatch special forces to secure the zoo?!??!

[Qwerty]

"Who gives a sh!t about zoos and museums?"

Aww... did you have a sad childhood?