During a press conference in Yerevan on April 27, Armenak Avetisyan, director of the zoo located in the Armenian town of Hrazdan complained about the bad conditions for the animals.

He said he and his friends keep the animals in their houses in winter.

“We lost 10 guinea pigs due to bad weather conditions last winter, as we can’t bring them home because of the heavy smell they give off,” Avetisyan said. “Currently, there are 20 kinds of animals in the zoo. We appealed to the parliament and various political parties for assistance. The zoo needs AMD 1 million per month for normal operation. With financial assistance, I will myself mend the cages and bring everything in order,” he said.

According to Avetisyan, there no employees in the zoo. “I do everything by myself, Often my friends help me,” he said, adding that entry fee to the zoo costs AMD 200 but local residents are often allowed in without any fee.