The FINANCIAL -- BANGKOK. A Bangkok zoo has evacuated animals to provincial zoos ahead of a mass rally by the opposition movement on March 12-14, the Thai Nation newspaper said on March 11.

The zoo, which is situated in Bangkok's central district of Dusit, will be among the sites of the rally by supporters of the deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Protests in Thailand started in March 2009 after the government allocated 9 million low-paid Thai workers assistance worth $55 each to stimulate the economy. Protesters called the aid "bribery," accusing the cabinet of coming to power illegally and demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva step down.

The zoo director Kanchanachai Saenwong told journalists 3 elephants, 2 cranes, six red kangaroos, and three wallabies, whose cages were close to the street, had been relocated from the Bangkok zoo, as the zoo was worried that the animals would be affected by the noisy protests.

He said the animals would be moved back when the situation returned to normal, adding that the 2,000 other animals would be provided with enough food for 10 days, and would be looked after around the clock by teams of vets and officials.

Related Stories

• A positive EU Summit for growth and jobs at last!
• NASA Hosts Events to Celebrate 50 Years of Americans in Orbit
• NASA Seeks Game Changing Technology Payloads for Suborbital Research Flights