/ 22 April 2005

Tel Aviv monkeys to eat unleavened bread

Monkeys at Tel Aviv zoo will be fed unleavened bread during Passover week, as workers at the menagerie cannot touch yeast, which is religiously prohibited during the Jewish holiday.

“As we do every year during Passover, we have replaced normal bread fed to the zoo’s monkeys with unleavened bread,” said zoo spokesperson Sagit Horowitz.

“Our monkeys eat fruit and vegetables, but equally appreciate both ordinary and unleavened bread,” she added.

The zoo, situated in the suburbs of Tel Aviv, shelters a family of five orang-utans, six gorillas and several chimpanzees.

Passover, which starts on Saturday evening, will not affect the diet of other animals at the zoo, especially big cats, which will continue to eat raw meat, kosher or not. — AFP