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The Citizen reports that a koala bear has died and it has been alleged that animals are not being fed properly because of a month-long strike by staff at the Pretoria Zoo.
“While we have been on strike, a lot of things have gone wrong in the zoo,” claimed National Trade Union Congress secretary Frans Rasethe, who reported that most of the staff have been on strike since 12 June. The strike came after staff were transferred from the National Research Foundation to the zoo. “When we were transferred, the employer did not consider a lot of things such as salary discrepancies for better working conditions, medical aid, and other benefits,” Rasethe claimed. He said that while management was dragging its feet in meeting employee demands, things were taking a turn for the worst at the zoo. Rasethe said the management had used interns to fill in for striking employees, but that their inexperience was showing. He referred to an incident in which an inexperienced driver had crashed into the elephant enclosure and said animals were not being fed or treated properly, which had led to the death of a koala last Saturday. But, zoo spokesperson Angeliné Schwan said Willie the koala died while under the care of veterinarians in the zoo hospital and that his death “was caused by a chronic liver condition.” Schwan also denied that the majority of the staff was on strike and claimed operations at the zoo were running smoothly.
- Read the full original of Reitumetse Mahope’s report on the above story at The Citizen
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page