László Gajdos, the minister responsible for animal welfare, has ordered a full investigation into the zebras kept at a farm between Bicske and Hatvanpuszta in western Hungary, he said on Facebook on Friday.

In the post, Gajdos said the relevant official documents reflected “total chaos” in the case, adding that “one thing is certain: there has been no responsible ownership there”. He said some of the zebras had arrived at the farm with inadequate documentation and that permits were applied for only later. The owners did not apply at all for a special licence for five of the animals, he added as per the Hungarian news agency.

Of the 17 zebras, only 10 had been registered, he said. He added that one of them, called Tihamér, had been kept illegally and that his existence only came to light after his death. He also said there had been no proper fence, and that three of the animals escaped and froze to death. Moreover, he said, the carcasses were disposed of illegally and thrown into a pit for pigs that had died of swine fever.

“This is not animal protection, but grave irresponsibility … we will not leave it at that,” Gajdos said. He also added that there are currently 17 adult zebras and three foals at the farm.

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Featured image: PrtScr/Youtube