Lion, ostriches among 32 animals seized from expat

Wildlife

Saudi environmental police has caught an expatriate for violating the kingdom’s wildlife law by owning and displaying wild and endangered animals

The Special Forces for Environmental Security (SFES) in collaboration with the National Centre for Wildlife (NCW) cracked down on the illegal place where the Pakistani national had kept the creatures in the city of H’ail in north-western Saudi Arabia,

SFES said the animals were handed over to NCW. The environment system in Saudi Arabia bans dealing in endangered animals including keeping and putting them on show. Displaying endangered animals in the kingdom is punishable by imprisonment up to 10 years and a maximum fine of SR30 million or one of both penalties, according to SFES.

During the raid, a total of 32 animals and birds including endangered creatures were seized, NCW said.

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They included a lion, gazelles, ostriches and eagles. They were transferred to an NCW rehabilitation facility.

In recent months, incidents involving wild animals have been reported in the kingdom. In May last year, the Saudi environmental police said they had restrained a lion found on the loose in the capital Riyadh. SFES said the beast had been brought under control and handed over to a specialist agency.

Also, that month, Saudi security agencies and wildlife inspectors raided an establishment illegally keeping and displaying beasts including a lion and a tiger in the south-western region of Asir region.

In 2021, Saudi authorities warned against illegal rearing of predators after a lion mauled its keeper to death in Riyadh. The illegal purchase of wild animals is believed to have thrived due to social media where they are marketed.