Video of live donkeys being fed to zoo lions sparks outrage in Iran

Screengrab from the video below.

For several months, a private zoo in the northern Iranian city of Sari sought to attract more visitors by feeding live donkeys to their lions every Thursday. However, after visitors filmed these feedings and posted the videos online, the backlash caused the zoo to halt this practice a few weeks ago.

The videos continue to draw the ire of numerous Iranian Internet users, who would like to see the zoo owners punished.

WARNING: This video may shock viewers.

"These zoo lions had no hunting experience, and so it took them about an hour to kill a donkey"

Reza Javalchi is the president of the Iranian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, based in Tehran.

Many people went to see the donkeys being fed and filmed these gruesome scenes. The zoo had made the feedings into one of its main attractions, with advertisements for it all over the place. While there were very strong reactions to the videos on Facebook, the state radio and television showed no interest in reporting on this.

We asked the head of the zoo to put an end to the feedings. He argued that this was what happened in the wilderness. We explained that in the wild, lions kill their victims in a matter of minutes, while these zoo lions had no hunting experience, and so it took them about an hour to kill a donkey. He finally agreed to halt these feedings for the time being.

In Iran, there is no serious punishment for animal cruelty; in the worst-case scenario, perpetrators will be fined about 50 euros. While it seems that more and more people in Iranian society are becoming aware of violence against animals – and angry about it – officials aren’t making any real efforts to update the laws.

Comments

I have not seen the video,

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Mon, 25/06/2012 - 11:10.

I have not seen the video, but doesnt this happen in the wild, if you go to the African Savannah?

I am so sorry

Submitted by pedram (not verified) on Sat, 23/06/2012 - 23:12.

Really Sorry about it, I don't know how somebody can do that.
I am Iranian but really ,where is Persian Culture?
how they can watch such tragic event?

This is a very shocking video

Submitted by mohammad777 (not verified) on Fri, 22/06/2012 - 16:38.

This is a very shocking video and I am very upset.

But I am wondering whether France 24 shows anything about their Spaniard neighbors who are killing living bulls with their own hands and pay 100s of dollars to watch that in stadiums.

Please do not try to show Iranians wild, because you Europeans are not that better.

Live donkey feedings to lions

Submitted by susankful (not verified) on Mon, 25/06/2012 - 14:09.

There is no comparison between being eaten alive, limb by limb, for hours on end.

Spain is only one country in Europe and bullfights are being banned all throughout Spain.

The difference between a bull in a ring is that it can defend itself. What you are doing is beyond savagery.

by the way, the "observer" is

Submitted by noname (not verified) on Mon, 25/06/2012 - 12:34.

by the way, the "observer" is Iranian. and this video is more about cruelty towards animals than about ethnic groups.
try to read his article again. (no offense intended!)
Implicitly, his message of course might concern animals all over the globe. so, probably violations against animals in Europe, Africa, Australia, wherever would surely interest him, I assume.
yet, since he lives in Iran - as he states-, it seems, the "observer" is basically interested in what he might change/influence if he becomes a witness to cruelty in an Iranian zoo.
khuda hafiz

p.s.: the article shows that people can bring about a positive change. additionally, his comments at least allude to the fact that he seems to know what he is talking about when referring to the amount of time lions need for killing an animal in nature in comparison to the lions in this particular zoo.
thus, the article clearly is about animals...
khush bash