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A zoo in the war-torn Palestinian enclave of Gaza presents itself as an opportunity to play with a declawed lion who still has teeth.
The 14-month-old lioness named Falestine is supposed to be calm enough to meet visitors at Rafah Park in the southern Gaza Strip.
"I try to reduce the aggression of the lioness so that she can be friendly with the visitors," said Mohammed Jumaa, 53. owner of the park.
This is the latest practice in unconventional animal care in Gaza, where a few dilapidated zoos compete for business.
Fayez al-Haddad, the veterinarian who operated on Falestine two weeks ago, observed his behavior on Tuesday. she was briefly out of her cage to be near local residents, including children.
"The claws have been cut so as not to grow quickly and visitors and children can play with it," said Haddad.
There are no specialized animal hospitals in Gaza, so the operation was carried out at the zoo, which lacks adequate facilities.
He denied that it was cruel for the animal.
"We want to bring smiles and happiness to children, while increasing the number of visitors to the park, which suffers from high expenses."
"(The lioness) does not lose her innate nature."
But the Paw project, an NGO that rehabilitates big cats, says that chewing the fake hand is inhuman and can mutilate felines. [19659002] "For Facebook"
The Rafah Zoo has five lions, including three cubs, as well as some birds and other animals.
It was destroyed during a bulldozing operation by the Israeli army in Rafah in 2004, before Jumaa reinstated it two years ago.
A group of laughing children watched on the other side of a low fence while Falestine was briefly out of his cage on Tuesday for the first time since his operation. 19659002] She was chatting with the zoo guards and playing with them, but for now the guests were
Sometimes the lioness looked stressed, trying to scratch the claws that did not exist on a tree.
Anas Abdel Raheem, age 12, insisted that he was not scared by leaning on the fence.
"I am happy because I played with the lion and that he did not bite or tear my clothes," he told AFP. [19659010] "My friends have seen the pictures I posted on Facebook and on WhatsApp. "
Haddad, however, warned that the claws were pushing back within six months.
" Lions will not give up their offensive instinct. "
Gaza shelters two million Palestinians but is stuck by Israel for more than ten years
There are a number of small zoos, each in poor conditions.
Last month, a litter of cubs died of cold once.
In 2016 the last animals were evacuated from what had been dubbed "the worst zoo in the world, also in southern Gaza.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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