Animals in this zoo are dying of hunger and really need help

A lion sleeps inside a cage at the Caricuao Zoo in Caracas, Venezuela. Animals are going hungry in this zoo and people are trying their best to keep them alive. Photos: Reuters

Some 50 animals have starved to death in the last six months at one of Venezuela's main zoos, according to a union leader, due to chronic food shortages that have plagued the crisis-stricken South American nation.

The fatalities at the Caricuao zoo in Caracas include Vietnamese pigs, tapirs, rabbits and birds – some of whom had not eaten for two weeks, according to Marlene Sifontes, 52, a union leader for employees of state parks agency Inparques which oversees zoos.