Yerevan zoo confirmed the information Panorama.am had concerning the death of the crocodile at the zoo.
"In the morning, one of the crocodiles of the zoo has been found dead. The cause of the animal's death will be revealed after the autopsy and laboratory tests.
At this point the zoo cannot provide any additional information, " said Ruben Abrahamyan, the zoo spokesman.
Karen Martirosyan, who has been taking care of the crocodile for over 20 years and who has been dismissed, told Panorama.am that the reason was illiteracy.
"It was the jewel of our zoo. I recently left my job, the animal was completely healthy. Completely. I saw the crocodile grow up, I was the head of the division, it was 4-5 cm in my hands, and now it's a 3-meter crocodile, " he said.
Martirosyan said he was anxious and stressed; he had taken care of the animal for 20 years day and night.
"There were two crocodiles in the zoo, one was hybrid, and the other one that died was the Nile crocodile. I feel a great deal of pain. The 25-year-old crocodile died while the animal can live for up to 80 years. It was a very healthy crocodile. All our foreign guests admired the way we were taking care of it," said the expert.
He was concerned that there are no specialists in the zoo, so the other animals may die as well.