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Crimea zoos closed as protest against prosecutor’s accusations can move to Iran — owner

Crimean Prosecutor said earlier that the owner was responsible for the deaths of three white tiger cubs at the Skazka zoo in the resort city of Yalta
Park's owner Oleg Zublov with a lioness in Taigan Safari Park Lev Fedoseyev/TASS
Park's owner Oleg Zublov with a lioness in Taigan Safari Park
© Lev Fedoseyev/TASS

BELOGORSK, December 11. /TASS/. The owner of two Crimean zoos, which closed in protest against a local prosecutor’s accusations that he caused the deaths of tiger cubs, said on Friday the animals can be relocated to some other Russian region or even Iran.

"Today we received proposals from Iran and (the Volga republic of) Tatarstan," Oleg Zubkov said. "We also have an offer from the (south Russian) Krasnodar territory, they have a good plot of land with appropriate climate conditions."

Zubkov on Thursday announced the closure of the Skazka zoo and Taigan safari park, home to some 50 African lions, 40 tigers and hundreds of other animals. He stressed the relocation would be an extreme measure.

Crimean Prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya said earlier that Zubkov was responsible for the deaths of three white tiger cubs at the Skazka zoo in the resort city of Yalta and said that he had failed to keep the animals properly.

Earlier on Friday Zubkov was given a three-year suspended sentence for attacking a zoo keeper.