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| Saving ADAM |
| Saving ADAM (Sunday, August 30, 2009) |
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Most persons resident in Lebanon have already read the extensive newspaper reports and TV news coverage concerning the tragic case of a 2 year old lion rescued by BETA members from a small cage in the Quarantina area of Beirut during the night 27th/28th August.
For those of you who haven't, and our overseas supporters, we suggest that you open the following link clickhere
When we arrived on site we found that our particular "King of the Jungle" was hardly breathing and in an emaciated state, with an enormous bloated stomach, as a result of the absence of regular and proper nutrition over a very long period of time.
In addition, he was suffering from tremendous stress and depression due to his captivity and painful confinement, as could be evidenced by the open sores on his body caused by his inability to move freely in the tiny cage.
The cage itself was covered with tarpaulin sheets to hide the lion from public view and this increased the heat inside as there was no free air movement.
As you know Beirut is currently in the middle of the summer period with sweltering daytime and nightime temperatures.
Beta members staged a 'sit-in' and 'all night vigil' in the surrounding abandoned/dilapidated buildings - the stench in the air was unbearable due to the neighbouring public waste disposal plant, but this was the only way to prevent the lion being transported elsewhere by the owner of the pet store.
We had to do this until we could obtain an official Court order the next morning transferring him to our temporary custody and control.
This was a particularly difficult task in the absence of Animal Protection Laws in Lebanon and, as far as we are aware, a groundbreaking legal decision was made enabling an NGO to take away an animal from its owner due to maltreatment.
We shall keep you updated on his condition as sadly he is currently barely holding on to life.
The Beta Team
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