German zoos ask Merkel for funds to feed animals during crisis

FILE PHOTO: Western lowland gorilla Fatou eats a hard-boiled Easter Egg during a media event at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, April 16, 2019. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

BERLIN (Reuters) - Zoos in Germany have written to Chancellor Angela Merkel pleading for 100 million euros to help them look after their animals during the coronavirus crisis.

"Unlike other organisations, we cannot just run down our operations, our animals must be fed and looked after," said Joerg Junhold, president of the Association of Zoos, which has 56 members in Germany plus a few in Switzerland and Austria.