In one of the most appalling and disgusting incidents of animal cruelty, two emaciated lions were found in pain and agony in a Russian Hotel. The lions were observed moaning from hunger and the Russian owners were using them as a tourist attraction. The two starving lions found in a Russian hotel were purchased on the black market and are a glaring example of the rampant black marketing of endangered wildlife.
The two lions had been purchased by Hotel owner Russian Kirrill Babenko to promote his business. The animals had been starved, beaten with metal rods and abandoned in the hotel. According to reports, the owner got wind of a raid against him and has since then fled to India.
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One of the lions was found by authorities in a cramped cage while a lioness was found in the owner’s bedroom. When teenagers found the animals they were shocked to see that they were dying from starvation in the abandoned Moscow hotel. They then sneaked in meat pies and spam to feed the lions.
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When authorities found the cats, they found several wounds on their bodies inflicted from beatings with a metal rod. Babenko had purchased the cats on the black market but had already fled Moscow several weeks ago abandoning the property. The teenagers said that the Lions were groaning and moaning from hunger.
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One of the volunteers who had helped released the big cats said 'The lion was so weak he couldn't move towards food that we brought for him. He also stated that the fur on the cats was in terrible condition and they were dehydrated. The lion which was locked in a small cage was in an extremely poor condition. The lioness was found in the upstairs bedroom of the owner and it seems the animals were being used for entertainment to attract customers.
Another volunteer IIdar Khantemeirov said that the lions were abandoned with old bones found in their cage. This was the only food they had been trying to survive on. He also found that the animals were scarred by wounds that showed they were being punished with a metal baton. The animals were about 18 months old.
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According to IIdar, The teenagers had found the two starving lions in the Russian hotel located in the Ramenskoye district of Moscow region. Ildar then went and informed prosecutors about the incident. The animals are now being shifted to a rehabilitation center although it is unlikely if they will ever recuperate enough to be released into the wild.
'This is a clear consequence of an utterly cruel black market of wild animals”, IIdar said. As per his knowledge, a three month old African lion cub can be purchased for as little as 140, 000 roubles or 1,900 pounds. The purchases are made without documents. All the buyer receives is a bag with a baby lion cub inside. There is no control or monitoring of such black market purchases. Animal experts feel that the two starving lions will take months to recover from their horrible ordeal.
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