Lion cub Pi was part of the growing trade and exploitation of big cat pets, until videos emerged on TikTok in March, revealing the appalling conditions he was subjected to in Lebanon
Tiny lion cub Pi was kept on a chain every day of his miserable life, his mouth taped up, forced to pose for selfies with passers-by on the street.
Pi was part of the growing trade and exploitation of big cat pets, until videos emerged on TikTok in March, revealing the appalling conditions he was subjected to in Lebanon. Thanks to a coordinated effort between rescuers Animals Lebanon and Human Society International, Pi will live out his days under the African sun. Last week he was transported to Drakenstein Lion Park just outside Cape Town in South Africa, which has offered him lifetime sanctuary.
Despite private ownership of lions as pets being illegal in Lebanon, the practice is rampant, with big cats being smuggled in from neighbouring countries to feed the trade. Pi is the third captive lion cub to have been confiscated in Lebanon and brought to the sanctuary in South Africa in the past six months, along with cubs Issam and Kelly.
They join Leonidas, who had been kept in a metal shipping container since birth. Another, Leo, now called Asad, was living on a balcony in downtown Beirut, while Baby Stuart was chained up inside a cement cage along with a dog. Dr Audrey Delsink, wildlife director for Humane Society International, said: “Pi’s ordeal in the illegal pet trade is an example of what thousands of cubs just like him endure at the hands of the captive breeding industry.”
Big cat pet ownership is not just happening in Lebanon. More than 2,700 dangerous wild animals are kept privately in the UK under licences permitted by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act. This number includes more than 200 wild cats, 250 primates and 400 venomous snakes, which is 10 times more venomous snakes than are kept in zoos.
Among the disturbing array of wild animals kept legally in family homes are bush vipers in Bedfordshire, cheetahs in Cheshire, caiman in Kent and lynx in Lincolnshire. The keeping of dangerous species in homes not only results in considerable animal suffering but it also threatens the safety of people and other animals. Increased demand for exotic “pets” also puts pressure on wild populations of many already threatened species.The exotic pet trade must end to stop this unnecessary suffering.