Albanian police have broken into cages to rescue 12 animals, including three lions and a bear, kept in “hellish” conditions” at a private zoo, welfare workers said.

Police and conservation officials pried open the main gate at the Safari Zoo Park in Mbrostar, 100 kilometres south of the capital Tirana on Sunday.

The zoo had been closed by owners after criticism emerged about the treatment of its animals, including fears they were malnourished.

The zoo had been closed by owners after criticism emerged about the treatment of its animals. (Facebook)

Veterinarians from Four Paws, an international animal welfare charity, sedated 12 animals — three lions, a bear, a waterbuck, four deer, a fox, a zebra and a turtle — and transported them to Tirana's public zoo.

They couldn't find the turtle until late afternoon, according to Four Paws spokesman Martin Bauer.

Mr Bauer said that they will try to relocate the animals to sanctuaries — "three lions to our big cat centre FELIDA in the Netherlands and the three-legged bear to our Bear Sanctuary Muritz in Germany."

Police and conservation officials pried open the main gate at the Safari Zoo Park in Mbrostar. (Facebook)

They will also work on solutions to take the remaining animals to other places, but only after the animals regain their health at Tirana zoo park. It may take weeks.

“Living conditions for the animals in this zoo are absolutely horrible, it’s a hellish way of keeping animals,” Four Paws’ Ioana Gabriela Dungler told AFP.

Albania's environment and tourism ministry said it took the animals because their living quarters were too cramped and some were sick.

But Zoo owner Petrit Osmani, who has run the zoo for 15 years, denied that the animals were sick or malnourished.

“You don’t have the right! These animals are my children, you are taking away my children!” he said, according to AFP.

His lawyer, Elvis Sulejmani, said the owner had filled out all the necessary documentation for the animals, and complained that authorities illegally took possession of the animals without a court verdict.

With AP