The African tiger at the zoo in the Gaza Strip was emaciated, its belly shrunken and its striped coat hanging loose. It strode nervously up and down its cage.

"I swear to God the tiger has not eaten for four or five days," said Mohammed Ouida, the owner of South Jungle Zoo. "It needs $20 of food a day."

Once bustling with families bringing their children to see lions, monkeys, crocodiles and ostriches, the zoo is mostly empty now, and Ouida can't generate enough cash to feed his animals.