The sights at the Gaza zoo could n't be sadder . In a tiny cage , a baboon sits , picking seeds off the floor , desperately eating whatever he can find . Next to the baboon , the carcass of his mate and five offspring lay in the pen , decomposing in the August heat . `` Eight to 10 monkeys were killed , '' says Abu Sameer , the zoo 's chief veterinarian . `` Also a peacock , a gazelle , a lion , and a fox . '' The carcasses of dead animals , mostly monkeys , lay scattered across the scorched grass between the pens . In one of the cages , a dead peacock lays in front of two hungry lions . In another , a crocodile lounges in the hot sun ; there is almost no water in the enclosure , which also holds a pelican and a duck . The zoo , part of the Al-Bisan recreational park in Jabalya , northern Gaza , was hit multiple times during the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas militants . Many of the animals seem weak and traumatized . Staff members say that on top of the injuries some of the animals sustained during the violence , many also have not eaten in days because the zoo lacks funds to buy food , and they 're getting virtually no assistance . `` The situation is very bad , '' said Sameer . `` We ca n't get the animals out to clean the cages . Many of them are getting sick because they are weak and it is dirty . But we do n't have any alternative places . '' The situation is most dire for the lions , according to Sameer . One was killed during the conflict and three remain in the zoo . Sameer says he does not have the funds to buy them the meat they need . `` They have not eaten for 10 to 15 days , '' he said . `` We could not reach them during the fighting . When it got calmer at least we could bring them some water . '' To help , at least a little , the CNN crew bought six chickens at the local market for the zoo 's staff to feed to the lions . It was clear to see how hungry the lions were . They ran toward the edge of the cage and began roaring the moment they saw us approaching with the dead chickens . Once we handed them over , they would take turns -- one lion would eat while the other kept an eye on us . When we got too close to the cage , the lions would charge and roar again , warning us to back off . Al-Bisan Park is run by Hamas , the Palestinian militant group that governs Gaza and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States , the European Union and Israel . Built in 2008 , it was supposed to be a tourist attraction for Gazans . It includes a soccer field , an amusement park with carousels , and several buildings , most of which were flattened by airstrikes during the recent conflict . An Israeli military spokesman told CNN that there is an investigation under way into allegations the zoo had been hit by airstrikes , and said he could not go into more detail due to legal reasons . But CNN understands from Israeli sources that the military believes there may have been a number of Hamas rocket launchers in the area of the zoo , and that the zoo might have suffered collateral damage in strikes targeting those rocket launchers . Hamas says the park is in a civilian area , but our crew did see several charred and mangled metal cases that looked like destroyed rocket batteries . The zoo staff says its main task for now is saving the lives of the animals . `` The first step has to be providing food , '' says vet Abu Sameer . `` Then we must rebuild the place and make it suitable for them to live in again . '' But with more than 2,000 people killed and many homes destroyed in the recent fighting , most people in Gaza and the international community have more pressing problems than the plight of zoo animals . In the meantime , the lions , crocodiles , monkeys and birds who survived the hostilities at the zoo now face the danger of succumbing to hunger and disease in the aftermath of this man-made war .
Zoo in Gaza nearly destroyed during recent Israel - Hamas conflict . Many of the zoo 's animals were killed -- and the survivors are struggling from lack of food and water . CNN reports the Israeli military believes Hamas may have had rocket launchers in vicinity of park . Hamas says the park is a civilian area , but CNN crew saw metal cases that looked like destroyed rocket batteries .