Four Paws reported they managed to  transfer the wild animals from “Europe’s worst zoo” in Fier, Albania, to a new shelter. “However, this is just a temporary situation, as we will look for species-appropriate accommodations for each one of them“, they added. The operation took place under supervision of Albanian police, entering the filthy prison for wild animals together with veterinarians from Four Paws, who initiated the rescue operation.

On October 23, the animal rights group said Albanian authorities had ordered the closure of the zoo which then followed the recent evacuation process.

Four Paws has been investigating Fier Safari Park Zoo since December 2015 but explained that because of legal regulations, it was not possible to intervene until now.

“Due to safety reasons, the owner of Safari Park Zoo was not informed in advance about the confiscation of the wild animals,” Four Paws statement read.