Visitors to the zoo in Yalta, mind your extremities. The predators were just shorted a month's supply of meat.

The zoo in Yalta, Crimea, has been left short a month's supply of meat that would have been used to feed its predators, said its director Oleg Zubkov.

“The 3.5 tons of meat was certified, brought over from a poultry farm, and loaded into refrigerators. All of the accompanying documents were in order, by the veterinary service was ready to find a fault by any means whatsoever. The doctors said that they could not identify the meat and that it should be packaged and stamped. We, on the other hand, transferred the meat into refrigerators and sent back the refundable packaging,” said Zubkov.

According to Zubkov, the veterinarians took the entire stock of meat available at the zoo out of circulation, instead of simply issuing a warning.

“We have been forbidden from using this meat. It will possibly be confiscated. We use 150 kilos [of meat] daily [to feed our animals]. This was almost a month’s supply … The zoo has been left without food for its wild animals,” said Zubkov.

The head of the Crimea’s Veterinary Committee, Valery Ivanov, said the meat has been sealed to determine its origin. “No one is allowed to feed animals expired or potentially dangerous products [unaccompanied by] documents and lab-quality control. We have absolutely no idea what kind of products these were and of what origin. There is an inspection in progress. When it is finished, a document will be issued. We are acting strictly within the law,” said Ivanov.

Ivanov encouraged Zubkov to adhere strictly to the law regulating the housing and alimentation of animals.