Three tiger cubs were found stuck for seven days covered in their own urine and feces in a tiny maggot infested crate that was only 42 centimeters high. The three cubs are only about 60 centimeters tall and could barely fit in the crate. These tigers were saved from further cruel and unnecessary suffering and possibly death by a judge order.
They arrived a week earlier on a flight from Ukraine and were supposedly destined for a zoo in Syria.
Nothing indicated that the box contained tigers or even live animals, and there were no details of a shipper or receiver. Other than an Air Waybill number, the box was completely unmarked.
These four month old tigers are now in the care of Animals Lebanon. A specialized wildlife vet was flown in to give them all a medical examination. Their paw pads were raw and red from being covered in urine, and so were their back legs and thighs. They had not received the proper vaccinations so all three were vaccinated. Only one tiger was found to have a microchip, though documents state that all three should have been microchipped.
They are improving – but they are still at risk! 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 and what’s right.
Siberian tigers are protected under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). They can only be traded under very specific circumstances, and only when a number of other conditions are met.
Officials have already stated that the transport conditions do not meet the regulations of CITES or IATA Live Animal Regulations. The owner, exporter and shipper is one man listed as ‘Private Entrepreneur’.
Animals Lebanon submitted today our case asking for the animals not just to be seized, but to be permanently confiscated.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Judge of Urgent Matters and Customs have all made the right decisions. Now they need a decision to permanently protect them and prevent them from becoming part of the multibillion dollar wildlife trafficking industry!
Video Credit: Animals Lebanon
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