BEIRUT, Lebanon — The end of summer approaches but it's still hot, at least in Lebanon. In a zoo less than half an hour from Beirut, most of the animals remain lying on the ground. But as the sun got lower in the sky, dozens of children arrive and the animals get excited — or nervous.

The children were there for a birthday party and before eating cake, they have a chance to touch and take pictures with a baby lion, bear and macaque. The children were quite afraid to get close to the animals, but their parents encouraged them to touch the babies and pose for pictures.

Al-Monitor met with Jason Mier, director of Animals Lebanon, in his office in Beirut. The nongovernmental organization is working to improve living conditions of animals across the country. “The amount of diseases you can get from monkeys," began Mier. "They just have monkeys climbing all over the people.”

“You can’t even get off the ground, you’re lying on cement all day long and you have people just like a meter away from you yelling at you all day,” he said. “That’s very stressful on your body. It’s not much different than if you or I were locked in this room 24 hours a day. Even if somebody feeds us the right food, our bodies are going to waste away,” said Mier, who had worked previously with chimpanzees for a wildlife rehabilitation center.