Lion held in serious condition in Gjilan, NGOs react

The animal rights groups and the Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency have confirmed that the conditions where a lion is being held at a restaurant in Gjilan are <x0 different unacceptable” and outside the premises for keeping it in the cage.

Reports that a lion is being held in a cage outside a restaurant in Zeger, a village in the municipality of Gjilan on Wednesday, have been met with outrage by animal rights organisations in Kosovo, Klan Kosova reports.

This wild animal is being kept in a very small cage just to please people who have no compassion for animals”, the United Animal NGO said in a Facebook statement.

It's not only inhuman, it's also illegal. ”

No information about the exact whereabouts of the lion, or his well-being, has been made public so far.

The Kosovo Foundation for Animal Rights also responded to the news, saying the situation is <x0) unacceptable” and that it is taking steps to help the lion.

The “Avocas of the Foundation for Animal Rights will review the laws in force and we will act as soon as possible in the best interest of the lion being held there in a small cage”, Pristina Insight writes.

“Keeping animals this way, importing them (maybe illegally) shows how weak the state is in monitoring and handling such situations”.

The foundation hopes that the situation will reach the attention of international organisations operating in Kosovo in order to save the lion safely.

Foundation for Animal Rights Director-General Elza Ramadani told Pristina Insight there have been reports of other wild animals, including chimpanzees, present at the restaurant.

“We have heard that Gjilan chairman Lutfi Haziri and other representatives of the institutions participated in the opening of the restaurant, and no one reacted to the captive animals”.

“We are trying not to react very emotionally and we are working with our lawyers to draft the best operation plan with professionalism, so we can report the situation to the courts or relevant institutions”.

The amendments to the Kosovo Criminal Code that entered into force in April 2019 penalised animal abuse. Previously, the mistreatment of animals was a civil offence punishable by fines of between 100 and 5,000 euros.

Mistreatment of exotic lions and other animals has also been reported in Albania this year.

In May, three lions were rescued from a private zoo in the town of Fier. Lions, named Lance, Bob, and Jacques, were taken from Albania and sent to the Netherlands to address various physical and behavioral problems they faced. Jacques died of severe organ damage in July as a result of the mistreatment he faced.

Mistreatment of bears and keeping them as pets has been a serious problem in Kosovo. In 2013, the Ministry of Environment decided to focus on the maintenance phenomena of <x0 restaurant holders” across the country. According to Austrian NGO Four Paper International, restaurant owners would buy bears from animal traders to be used as a tourist attraction, closing them in cages outside restaurants as a way to attract customers.