A man bought a pet lion to keep in his garden, and days later, the lion mauled his owner to death before eating him. The ferocious beast killed this 50-year-old Aqil Fakhr al-Din from Najaf, Iraq, on Thursday, having consumed the majority of his body when found.
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“Today in a garden in the city of Kufa in Najaf, a citizen was attacked by a lion in his own garden and died immediately,” a spokesperson from the Najaf Police said to Rudaw, a local news outlet. “The lion had eaten a large portion of the man’s body, and because the lion refused to leave the remains, we were forced to shoot and kill it.”
Pet Lion Mauls Owner To Death And Eats Him Days After Purchase
This hadn’t been the first predator al-Din had kept in his backyard. The spokesperson, Mufid Tahir, said the victim had kept lions and other wild animals in his garden for years.
This also wasn’t a surprising hobby. According to the outlet, Iraq has been subject to illegal wildlife trafficking for years. It said the trafficking was “fueled by years of instability, weak enforcement, and high demand.” Smugglers will take advantage of Iraq’s lack of regulation to keep and sell rare animal species.
The Daily Mail reported that a neighbor of al-Din allegedly intervened when he saw the lion tear him to shreds. The neighbor reportedly used a Kalashnikov rifle to shoot the lion and killed it with seven shots.
At this point, it was too late. The beast had already torn apart and consumed parts of his owner’s body. He was taken to Al-Sadr Medical City Hospital, but his injuries were so severe that he succumbed to them.
The outlet shared an image of the dead lion, which has already swept across social media. Netizens were mainly concerned about how al-Din kept the lion in his garden, and what his intentions with it were. Local reports say that the man wanted to keep the lion for himself as a pet.
Anyone who has worked with wild animals in zoos or sanctuaries will probably shake their head at this notion. Taming and raising wild beasts like lions is nearly impossible. They are not domestic creatures, and they are incredibly dangerous if not handled by a professional.