Latest news with #NajafPolice
Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Man buys lion as pet for back garden but there's a horrific outcome
Aqil Fakhr al-Din, 50, from Iraq, was killed by a lion he had just brought as a pet and had planned to tame. The animal was shot after it refused to let go of his body A man was savaged to death by his pet lion just days after purchasing the animal and homing it in his back garden. Aqil Fakhr al-Din, was mauled by the beast before it feasted on most of his body. According to local media, the 50-year-old had been keeping pet lions and other wild animals for several years and had planned to tame the predator over time at his home in city of Najaf in Iraq. Mufid Tahir, spokesperson for the Najaf Police, explained what happened to the owner. He said: "Today in a garden in the city of Kufa in Najaf, a citizen was attacked by a lion in his own garden and died immediately. 'The lion had eaten a large portion of the man's body, and because the lion refused to leave the remains, we were forced to shoot and kill it." According to reports, one of the victim's neighbours attempted to save him and shot the lion with a Kalashnikov rifle. The neighbour is said to have gunned down the animal using seven bullets. The owner was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead after the nightmare attack. Shocking pictures showed the bloodied victim lifeless in a hospital bed after the incident. Footage has also captured the aftermath from the scene, with the lion spotted dead in the garden. Police told the Rudaw news network that they ensured the lion was actually dead after the shooting, so they could retrieve any remains. The incident has prompted concerns over wildlife trafficking. It comes despite laws being put in place to protect animals from such acts. The Convention on the Protection of Animals was introduced in 2014 to help regulate global wildlife trade. Despite this illegal trafficking is still an ongoing issue in the country. Last year, a zoo keeper was mauled by a pack of lions in Uzbekistan. The man, named locally as F. Iriskulov, 44, recorded his final moments as the beasts pounced on him, reports The Sun. The incident happened at Lion Park - a zoo which had been open since May 2019. Three lions mauled him after he appeared to goad the animals inside the cage and kept telling them to "be quiet'. The zoo released a statement at the time which said: 'The lions killed him and partially consumed his body.'
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Man is mauled to death and EATEN by pet lion days after buying the beast to keep in his back garden
A man was mauled to death and eaten by his pet lion just days after buying the beast to keep in his back garden. A resident of Najaf, southern Iraq, was horrifically attacked by the predator before it consumed most of his body on Thursday. 'Today in a garden in the city of Kufa in Najaf, a citizen was attacked by a lion in his own garden and died immediately,' Mufid Tahir, spokesperson for the Najaf Police, told local news site Rudaw. 'The lion had eaten a large portion of the man's body, and because the lion refused to leave the remains, we were forced to shoot and kill it,' he added. The victim, 50-year-old Aqil Fakhr al-Din, had reportedly been keeping lions and other wild animals in his garden for several years, according to Tahir. But on Thursday, the predator launched a surprise attack on its trainer before ferociously mauling him to death and devouring him. One of the victim's neighbours reportedly intervened and shot the lion with a Kalashnikov rifle, killing it with seven bullets, as per local TV reports. But by the time the lion was killed, it was too late for al-Din. He was immediately transferred to Al-Sadr Medical City Hospital in Najaf but did not survive due to the extent of his injuries. Grisly images showed the man covered in blood as he laid on a hospital bed and an official investigation has also reportedly been opened into the circumstances of the incident. A clip of the dead lion in the garden is also making rounds on social media, raising concerns about how al-Din was able to keep the wild animal on his property. According to local reports, the victim had purchased the lion just days before the tragedy, with the intention of raising and taming it at home. Iraq continues to grapple with rampant illegal wildlife trafficking, a problem exacerbated by years of conflict, weak enforcement, and high demand for rare species. Poachers and smugglers routinely exploit the country's lack of regulation, targeting falcons from the southern plains and birds and foxes from the remote mountains of the Kurdistan Region. Despite signing the Convention on the Protection of Animals in 2014, which aims to curb the global trade in wildlife, Iraq remains a hotspot for both the export of native species and the smuggling in of exotic animals for sale on the black market.
Rudaw Net
08-05-2025
- Rudaw Net
Lion fatally attacks owner in southern Iraq
Also in Iraq Thousands of trucks stuck at Mosul Dam checkpoint amid processing delays Iraq kicks off compensation program for Yazidi survivors of ISIS Iraqi army blocks Kurdish farmers in Kirkuk's Sargaran Baghdad, Erbil reach agreement to revive stalled trade A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A lion fatally attacked its owner on Thursday in the southern Iraqi province of Najaf, consuming most of his body before being put down by the authorities. 'Today in a garden in the city of Kufa in Najaf, a citizen was attacked by a lion in his own garden and died immediately,' Mufid Tahir, spokesperson for the Najaf Police, told Rudaw. 'The lion had eaten a large portion of the man's body, and because the lion refused to leave the remains, we were forced to shoot and kill it,' he added. The victim, a 50-year-old man, had been keeping lions and other wild animals in his garden for years, according to Tahir. Iraq has long struggled with illegal wildlife trafficking, fueled by years of instability, weak enforcement, and high demand. Hunters and smugglers often exploit the lack of regulation to capture and sell rare species. Falcons from Iraq's southern plains and birds and foxes from the remote Kurdistan Region mountains are frequent targets of this lucrative black market. Meanwhile, rare and exotic animals are also smuggled into Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to be sold at high prices. Although Iraq signed the Convention on the Protection of Animals in 2014 - which aims to regulate the global trade in wildlife and animal products - illegal trafficking remains widespread across the country.
