When thinking of pets to have usually it is the cute and cuddly type that come to my mind. Creatures like dogs, cats, rabbits. Maybe some sort of reptile if I am feeling adventurous. However, rarely do I imagine a large wild animal like a lion, tiger, or bear, (oh my!). While it may be fun to fantasize about having some sort of exotic pet the average person never does it. Most likely because it is incredibly dangerous, and illegal in most places. However, some people follow through on these fantasies and then they pay the ultimate price. That is what happened to one man in Southern Iraq when he was attacked and eaten to death by his pet lion.
Man Attacked And Eaten To Death By Pet Lion
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Aqil Fakhr al-Din was no stranger to wild animals. Daily Mail shares that the 50-year-old had been keeping various wild animals in his garden for years. However, his last purchase proved to be one too many. The Iraq citizen purchased a lion to add to his collection and just days later he suffered the devastating consequences for it. The news outlet shared that the man was "horrifically attacked by the predator before it consumed most of his body on Thursday."
Based on the details of the attack, it truly did seem to be a horrifying scene. Reports share that Aqil Fakhr al-Din had been out in his garden when the lion launched it's surprise attack. After the gruesome mauling, the lion proceeded to consume a large majority of its owner's body. A neighbor eventually spotted the incident and took action — shooting the lion with "a Kalashnikov rifle, killing it with seven bullets." However, the intervention came too late.
Although the man was rushed to the hospital, he did not survive the extent of his injuries. The man died after being attacked and eaten to death by his pet lion, in his own garden.
A Tragic Incident Raises Many Concerns
Naturally, many people feel bad for Mr. Aqil Fakhr al-Din, who tragically lost his life. However, this gruesome scene has also shed a light on another problem in the country. After saddening images of the dead lion began to circulate the internet, people were angered that the man was able to obtain the wild animal in the first place.
While the citizen's intentions may have just been to raise and tame it at home, the Daily Mail shares that "Iraq continues to grapple with rampant illegal wildlife trafficking, a problem exacerbated by years of conflict, weak enforcement, and high demand for rare species." Despite protection acts being signed and put into place, Iraq continues to be a hotspot for both smuggling and exportation of exotic animals. This is not the first incident of its kind, but hopefully it will be one of the last. One day we may learn to observe nature and its beauty from its natural habitat.
