Armen Tadevosyan, who took over the zoo in Armavir in 1991, say that due to a lack of funds the outside enclosure of the camel pen has rusted away and that the animal has been kept inside for the last three years. The price tag for a new gate for the outside enclosure is 250,000 drams. Mr. Tadevosyan has gone to the Armavir Regional Governor, Ashot Ghahramanyan, and Mayor Ruben Khlghatyan for help. Almost overnight, Mr. Tedevosyan improved the zoo after taking it over. He increased the green space and added new species of animals. Family members care for the animals. As an example of the difficulties he faces in caring for the more exotic species at the zoo, Mr. Tadevosyan pointed to the crocodile enclosure which must be kept warm for the tropical animal. "Me and my boys constantly have to monitor the temperature. We must heat it every night and make sure that the wood fire doesn't go out. I haven't gotten a peaceful night's sleep in the ;ast eighteen years," said the zoo-keeper. The six year-old lion club is the only animal that doesn't have a companion. "It's a very expensive proposition but not impossible. Food is more of a problem for the meat eaters. Each consumes 300 drams of sheep heads in a day. The camel consumes 37 kilograms of grass daily. For the last year I get the table scraps from the Baghramyan military base and feed the animals," Mr. Tadevosyan explained. Whilst Mr. Tadevosyan says that he's solved the issue of properly feeding the animals, their emaciated bodies and lethargy would seem to prove otherwise. Mr. Tadevosyan couldn't even come up with a figure of how much he spends to feed the animals. "If I ever calculated the cost I'd probably shut the zoo down. I don't even know how many animals and birds I have. The number keeps changing," he confessed. When asked about how he spends the entrance fee he charges to visit the zoo, Mr. Tadevosyan answered, "The entrance fee is 100 drams. Those that can, pay it. We don't even ask it of those that are in no position to pay." Brushing aside the fact that he works constantly and receives no profit from the zoo, Mr. Tadevosyan rationalized the matter by stating, "We are nature lovers. It's not a matter of getting a financial reward. I get satisfaction from seeing the smiles on the faces of those who visit the zoo. It means the world to me when they come up and thank me for a wonderful job before leaving." Haykousk Aslanyan