Streets of Georgia turn into a zoo post floods

Moscow, June 15: People in the small town of Georgia now have more to deal with apart from the flood- the zoo animals. After flood water devastated the city of Tbisili, lions, tigers and many other wild animals have been seen roaming the city streets.

With 12 people killed and 24 still missing, Davit Narmania-the Mayor of Georgia is now worried about finding all the animals in the zoo in the city that were let loose to escape the devastation. "Not all the animals that fled from the zoo have been caught yet. Therefore, I would ask the population to avoid moving around the city except in cases of acute need."

It is yet to be ascertained how many animals are there on the loose and how many have been killed in the floods. While residents are doing their bit to help zoo authorities to catch the animals, they have also spotted corpses of animals and birds in various places. The picture of a Rhino roaming the streets of Georgia is doing circles on Twitter, a bear was also seen perched above an air conditioner.

Among the animals that were killed include six wolves, a bear and a hyena. Meanwhile, the director of the zoo, Zurab Gurielidze, has ordered a probe into the killing of the animals. "If an animal attacked people, it's one thing. I know that no order was issued to kill animals. Some policemen exceeded their authority."

Zoo workers have said that full animal census was not possible at the moment as most of the park area was still under the water. However, they have figured out that apart from an albino lion-Sumba (who was found shot dead), there were many missing animals that included 20 wolves, 8 lions, tigers and jaguars. Out of 17 penguins, only three survived.

The church, however, blames the previous communist government for the floods. "When Communists came to us in this country, they ordered that all crosses and bells of the churches be melted down and the money used to build the zoo. Therefore, the zoo should have not been built there. Many didn't know this, but sin will not go without punishment," said Patriarch Ilia II, the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

OneIndia News