Desperate bid to save nine starving tigers after they are found covered in excrement in tiny cages

A zoo in western Poland is desperately trying to save the lives of nine tigers shipped from Italy, after they were found stranded for days in small cages at Poland’s border with Belarus. 

The big cats were found starving and covered in their own excrement in cages while being transported from Italy to a circus in Russia.

Shocking video, filmed by staff of Poznan zoo, shows how one of the animals in the group has already died. Further pictures and footage reveals the horrifying conditions the animals were facing. 

Video published by Wyborcza shows the emaciated body of an animal lying on the floor at the feet of helpless Polish authorities. 

Video filmed by staff at Poznan zoo in western Poland show a dead tiger lying on the floor after being found starving in a tiny cage being transported to Russia

One of ten tigers transported from Italy to Russia stuck on the Polish-Belarusian border at Koroszczyn 

The death of one of the tigers was probably due to problems with its stomach according to deputy border veterinarian Eugeniusz Karpiuk. 

Poznan zoo has called for urgent donations from the public to help save the lives of the jungle cats, and have published frantic updates on social media about the deteriorating condition of the animals.

‘Please help the tigers kept in the car on the border of Poland!’ said a message published today on the Poznan Zoo’s Facebook account, ‘Tigers will die soon !!!! Please help us!!!’ 

Authorities in Belarus have refused to let the transport in, saying the Italian caretakers have no visas and lack the necessary veterinary documents for the animals.

Staff at Poznan zoo traveled over 500km on Tuesday evening to try and get to the stranded animals after Poznan’s chief veterinary inspector requested help.   

‘For over a week they have been in tiny cages that prevent them from moving, feeding and watering.,’ said zoo director Ewa Zgrabczynska.

‘They are hungry and thirsty, they stand in their own excrement. We don’t know how many of them can be kept alive.’

The starving tigers were found in tiny cages after being stranded on the border with Belarus for days

The animals were found hungry and dehydrated, stacked alongside each other in a tiny horse box

According to TVN24, the shipment started off on October 22 from near Rome for a circus company in Russia, but got stuck on Saturday at the border when authorities refused to grant entry into the country.

Polish authorities said it has been difficult to give the tigers enough food and water in their truck cages, and are facing a race against time to get the animals to safety.

Alarmed by the animals’ condition, city authorities in Poznan have allowed Poznan Zoo to temporarily take the tigers in. 

Zgrabczynska said the animals would stay in Poznan until they received documents to be transported to an animal reserve in Spain. 

Poznan zoo workers said they face a race against time to keep the starving animals alive

Poznan zoo staff have posted a statement on their Facebook page saying the animals are finally on the move after being given a green light by local authorities 

One of the tigers is pictured in cage on a lorry at the border crossing between Poland and Belarus in Koroszczyn, Poland

In an update recently published by Poznan Zoo, they say that the animals are finally on the move after being given the green light by local authorities, but they still face a desperate race to save the lives of the animals. 

The statement, published in Polish on the Poznan Zoo Facebook account says ‘this is the beginning of the fight to keep them alive, the expectations of animals to escape from death have been reduced.’ 

‘We don’t know how long they will survive, but we won’t give up, every animal is priceless to us.’