A pair of three-month-old lion cubs that were rescued from traffickers in Somalia.
Somali officials have intervened to save two three-month-old lion cubs smuggled on board a ship in the port of Berbera, Somalia. The brother and sister are believed to be rare Berbera lions.
They were confiscated four weeks ago after Mogadishu's port manager told Bancroft, an organisation training African Union peacekeepers in the Somali capital, of his suspicions that the animals were being trafficked as pets.
The cubs, believed to have been destined for Dubai, are now being cared for by Bancroft staff, who have suitable facilities and veterinary care because they provide teams of bomb-sniffing dogs.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/201...ickers-somalia
Smuggling attempt
Their mother was shot and they were driven through a raging civil war, destined to be pets in the Middle East -- until Somali authorities intervened to save two lion cubs smuggled aboard a ship at port.
The two 3-month-old cubs, a brother and sister, are believed to be rare Berbera lions because of their spotted coats. They were confiscated just more than a month ago after Mogadishu's port manager reported his suspicions to Bancroft, an organization that is training African Union peacekeepers in the war-ravaged Somali capital.
The lion cubs are now being cared for by Bancroft staff, who have suitable facilities and veterinary care because they provide teams of bomb-sniffing dogs.
Mike Stock, head of Bancroft, said, "The plan is that (Somali President) Sheikh Sharif will give them to (Ugandan President) Museveni until Somalia is capable of taking them back."
Detroit Free Press