These 50 lions may starve to death because of the crisis in Ukraine
Fifty lions at a safari park in Crimea face starvation after the park’s bank account was blocked following the Russian annexation.
Fifty lions are at risk of starvation over the crisis in Ukraine.
The group of African lions, among them a breed of rare white lions, are among a menagerie of animals at a safari park in Crimea whose bank account was blocked after Russia annexed the region.
More from GlobalPost: Live Blog: The latest updates on the crisis in Ukraine
The move was part of a slew of economic restrictions imposed last month.
Oleg Zubkov, director of Taigan Park near Simferopel, told Sky News the most pressing problem is finding food for the lions because they eat so much every day.
"There is only enough meat in the park for a few days," he said. "We will have to come up with something."
"It's impossible to explain to tigers that they have become victims of somebody's political ambitions or a revolution."
The park, which opened in 2012, is also home to tigers, giraffes, miniature zebras, parrots, ostriches, Himalayan bears, monkeys and kangaroos.
It sits on 90 acres of land that once housed a Cold War-era military base.
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