Again and again the Lord has instructed that our people are to take their families away from the cities, into the country, where they can raise their own provisions, for in the future the problem of buying and selling will be a very serious one. We should now begin to heed the instruction given us over and over again: Get out of the cities into rural districts, where the houses are not crowded closely together, and where you will be free from the interference of enemies.—Selected Messages 2:141 (1904).
In a tragic reflection of the sorry state of Venezuela’s economy under the so-called “leadership” of socialist president Nicolas Maduro, citizens have resorted to killing and eating rare animals from the Caricuao Zoo in the capital city of Caracas.
Desperate and hungry residents of the city have reportedly slaughtered a rare black stallion that was kept at the zoo, leaving behind only the ribs and head of the unfortunate animal. Other animals residing at the zoo have also been stolen and killed for food, including sheep and pigs.
The zoo animals that haven’t yet been eaten by starving Venezuelans aren’t faring much better – many have already died of starvation, while others are on the verge.
From The Telegraph:
“Earlier this month Marlene Sifontes, a union leader for employees of state parks agency Inparques, which oversees zoos, said that 50 animals in the zoo had starved to death over the last six months.
“She said the animals included Vietnamese pigs, tapirs, rabbits and birds – some of which had not eaten for two weeks.”
The staff at the zoo are doing their best to prevent further starvation deaths among the animals, but the situation is dire; lions and tigers are being fed fruits and vegetables to supplement their drastically reduced meat diets, and an elephant is receiving tropical fruit instead of its normal diet of hay.
Outside Caracas, other zoos and wildlife preservation parks are experiencing similar problems.
The human population of Venezuela is also suffering greatly, as evidenced by the theft of zoo animals and the recent wave of citizens pouring into Colombia to buy food and other essentials.
Five pedestrian border crossings between Venezuela and Colombia were opened in an effort to provide relief to desperate Venezuelans, who stood in long queues to make the trip into the neighboring country to purchase whatever they could afford.
Inside Venezuela, people are also forced to stand in long lines to buy scarce and overpriced commodities such as meat and rice.
Food riots and looting have become common in Venezuela, and many citizens have been reduced to killing cats, dogs and pigeons to stave off starvation.
During a recent visit to Venezuela, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told journalists that the country is in a deep crisis. Full Report
