NewzHAVANA, Cuba (AFP) β Every day, veterinarians and zookeepers make their way to Cuba's National Zoo by whatever means they can, determined to not abandon the nearly 1,000 animals in their care and help save species at risk of extinction. Their dedication and food donations are vital to keeping alive an array of rhinos, jaguars and tigers -- including an extremely rare white tiger -- in the midst of a severe crisis that has left many Cubans struggling to feed themselves. Just getting to the reserve situated 20 kilometres (12 miles) from central Havana is a headache for staff, as public transportation has come to a near standstill nine months into a US fuel blockade.
"The workers come by bicycle, pedal scooter or electric motorbike to ensure the animals have food and water every day," said Yoel Machado, the zoo's animal welfare manager. Their efforts are about more than keeping the animals fed. The 345-hectare (850-acre) park serves as a genetic reserve of international conservation importance, housing breeding populations of vulnerable or endangered species, including black and white rhinos, hippos and jaguars.
Yet the same crisis that has left workers scrambling to source meat, medicine and water has forced the zoo to curb reproduction programs and increasingly rely on handouts to sustain its animals. During a recent visit by AFP, two Bengal tiger cubs, one an extremely rare white specimen, frolicked in their enclosure beneath the watchful gaze of their mother, oblivious to the strenuous efforts made to keep them alive. AFP did not see any animals that appeared malnourished or ill, but Angel Cordero, the veterinarian in charge of big cats, said the tiger cubs "could be in better shape." He revealed he needed to ration their food to prevent it from running out.
"It's no use giving them plenty if it only lasts three days," he said. Big cats need about seven kilograms (15 pounds) of meat per day per adult, but such quantities are hard to come by. Even when it is available, recurring blackouts of up to 30 hours at a stretch make it difficult to preserve.
With fuel extremely scarce, there's also the issue of how to distribute food in a nature reserve the size of New York's Central Park. For now, private donors have come to the rescue for the zoo's various needs. Every Monday, Ana Fernandez, a Cuban-American woman born in Tennessee who has been living in Cuba for β¦
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