Circus trainer has brought lions into his apartment to perform his act during Egypt’s coronavirus lockdown. Ashraf el-Helw posted a video online of his big cats performing tricks in his Cairo flat and said he is planning to film more.
The 26-year-old, the third generation in a lion-training
dynasty, claims he wants to encourage people to stay at home during the
pandemic.
Egypt’s government has imposed nightly curfew and ordered
many businesses to shut to contain the spread of the virus, which has infected
more than 5,500 people and killed 392 in the country.
Mr el-Helw’s first video on 20 April received an
enthusiastic response from some viewers, but animal rights activists have
criticised the footage and said it raises questions about how the lions are
treated.
“This is
irresponsible and foolish behaviour,” said Dina Zulfikar, an animal rights
activist who sits on the board of Egypt’s largest zoo. “They are not pets, they
are wild animals.”
She added bringing wild animals into private homes was
against the law, and warned Mr el-Helw’s social media profile gave an
unrealistic impression of how dangerous lions are.
His family have been doing circus shows with lions for over
a century. His grandmother was a renowned circus performer, Mahassen el-Helw,
the Arab world’s first female lion trainer. She was known as “the iron woman”
for her stern stage demeanor.
Mr el-Helw’s grandfather, Mohammed, was killed in 1972
during one of his shows by Sultan, a lion who tore him to pieces in front of
horrified spectators.
There have also been reported incidents of several other family members being attacked during shows in recent years.
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