Three endangered Siberian tiger cubs were rescued after being locked up inside a crate at the Beirut Airport in Lebanon for about a week. All three are alive but they were dehydrated and starved. They were also covered in their own urine and feces and their bodies were infested with maggots when they were found.
Apparently, an unmarked 16-inch tall wooden crate containing the baby tigers arrived at the airport for a week before being opened by the Ministry of Agriculture, the customs and airport security, and animal advocates. “Nothing indicated that the box contained tigers or even live animals, and there were no details of a shipper or receiver,” rescue group Animals Lebanon (AL) said in a statement.
An investigation revealed that the cubs were transported from Ukraine’s Nikolaev Zoo to the Samer al-Husainawi Zoo in Damascus, Syria. It is unknown however why and how they got stuck in Lebanon.
The awful situation of the tigers revealed how badly the animals are being treated while on transport. AL made an appealed to confiscate the tigers from their original owner. The rescue group argued this is a case of cruelty against animals. Currently, the Siberian cubs are far from harm’s way and getting stronger every day.
“Big cats can be worth tens of thousands of dollars on the black market. The owner is fighting to get them back. And we are fighting for the tigers,” AL wrote.
Update, the Bored Panda news outlet reached out to Animals Lebanon and clarified that a representative of the importing zoo did visit the cubs for around 15 minutes each day before they were found and rescued. Although the baby tigers are now getting stronger in a safe home, their future is still unknown. There is a chance that their legal owner would get them back and they would probably end up on the black market. Animals Lebanon is doing everything they can to prevent this from happening. To support their case, check out their website below.
A small wooden box was left at the Beirut Airport in Lebanon for a week before being opened.
The people who opened the crate were shocked to find three Siberian tiger cubs locked inside.
Aside from being deprived of food for a week, they are also stinking from their urine and feces and their bodies were also infested with nasty maggots.
“Nothing indicated that the box contained tigers or even live animals, and there were no details of a shipper,” a rescue group said.
Now, the tigers are safe and getting stronger every day.
“Big cats can be worth tens of thousands of dollars on the black market. The owner is fighting to get them back… And we are fighting for the tigers,” AL said.
sources : (Bored Panda)