Africa
Somaliland lions end up in Mogadishu
March 28, 2011 · 30 Comments
BERBERA — 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 in the chaotic country’s port.
The two tiny cubs, a brother and sister, are believed to be rare Berbera lions because of their spotted coats. They were confiscated four weeks ago after Mogadishu’s port manager reported his suspicions to Bancroft, an organization which is training African Union peacekeepers in the war-ravaged Somali capital.
It’s not the first time animals have been spotted in the hands of traffickers, but it is the first time they have been confiscated, said Richard Bailey, who works in Mogadishu for Albany Associates. Trafficked animals are believed to be sent to private buyers in places like Dubai and the Far East.
Bailey’s company has a contract to help the peacekeeping force with public relations.
Somalia has been mired in civil war for 20 years, and no one knows the extent of the animal trafficking trade. The two 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, the 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.”
He also said he had been in contact with the Smithsonian to see if the cubs could be involved in a sicentific breeding program.
Bailey said the 3-month-old cubs are eating a whole goat every three days.
By Katherine Houreld
Source: AF | 28 March 2011
– end –
Rare lion cubs rescued from traffickers in Somalia
Authorities intervened before the young animals were shipped to Dubai and potentially sold to private buyers as pets
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.
The Guardian and AP
– end –
SOMALILANDPRESS:
These orphan rare lions are from Somaliland (Berbera) and now they need your help. Lobby for their return to their habitat (Somaliland) and the protection of the few others in the Somaliland wild. Every race, culture and a nation has a treasure, lions are something we always wanted. Sadly, many of us did not know we had rare ones in our own backyards. Time to rescue them and protect the rest.
What can you do?
Create awareness by twitting, sharing, linking and emailing this story. Write to anyone you know.
Animals matter.
Email this story
Tags: Animal welfare, Berbera lions, smugglers, Somalia, UAE
Readers Comments (30)
Somaliland
Somaliland: Grand Opening for a New State of The Art Coca Cola Bottling Plant In Hargeisa
Hargeisa-President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud (silanyo) today cut the ribbon to a new modern beverage production plant which is owned by Coca Cola Company ...
Somaliland-Ethiopia Relationship
Overpowering Gratitude Vs Vexing Misgivings By Ahmed I. Hassan Author’s Note: This is the chapter on Somaliland-Ethiopia Relationship in a book titled “Somaliland: The Legacies of Non-Recognition” which ...
SOMALIA: Turkish Airlines diverts to Nairobi after security scare in Mogadishu
MOGADISHU — A carrier operated by Turkish Airlines left its Somali passengers stranded in the wrong airport after landing in Kenya rather than their intended ...
UN envoy in Somalia concerned over violent clashes in Hargeisa
Photo: Special Representative Augustine Mahiga (UN Photo/Stuart Price) NAIROBI — The United Nations envoy in Somalia, Augustine P. Mahiga, today expressed concern over recent violent clashes ...
SOMALILAND: President urges citizens to uphold peace and stability
HARGEISA — The Somaliland National Independence day celebrations that was widely marked within and outside the country, had an added flavor when the State House grounds witnessed ...
Your Say
IN MEMORY OF DR. ABDISHAKUR JOWHAR – FRANZ FANON OF THE SOMALI PEOPLE*
BY BASHIR GOTH “He lit up a room. If you can imagine the sun, his face was like the sun, that smile, the arm around ...
- Somaliland media: Spreading the word
- SOMALILAND: Where is the Justice in our Justice System?
- Unionist are Dead — Long Live SOMALILAND
- Apprehending Ratco Mladic: a reminder of a war criminal working as jury
- Dr Jowhar: We lost a friend, a Hero
- GEESI LOO HANWEYNAA – A tribute to my hero Dr. Jowhar
- 10 Years after Timor’s Independence, Where Is the Justice?
- Why Hiil Qaran Party Will Not Have a Significant Impact on the Politics of Somalia
- Sunday 20 May: Join in Commemorating late Dr Jowhar
- Qurbomeer State should stop smearing the reputation of Lula A Osman
Somalia: Federalism, Division and The Dual Track Policy
OPINION | MAY 20, 2012 Photo: Alternative to federalism and Somaliland/Somalia ideology – the three branch Somalia (three branches of government in three different parts of ...
Somaliland National day – for the sake of a decent life and principle of the future
OPINION | May 18, 2012 By Abdirahman Maeeg In a wonderful day like this day, our talk should have significance from a different angle; it is an ...
Thats sad and I am not suprised at all those south Somalis kill every thing even a mother and would sell her kids for few dollars. They kill, rob, loot ships, people for few pennies. Such a nasty people they are.
I am glad the animals are getting away from those real animals in south Somalia and are heading to Uganda.
I didnt know Berbera had lions, woow, thats awesome. Last time they said they spotted gorillas in Gollis mountains.
Anyways this lovely animals deserve to live in peace and not in Mogadishu.
there are wild lions in both South and in the north. Although most them are been killed the nomadic people.
We really do have lions.
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.
We have to protect them and I can not believe its our own people smuggling them, we need to know what the port authority in Berbera has to say about this.
I urge all Somalilanders to contact any Somaliland official and put pressure on them, we have to find out who shot their mothers, smuggled them, who is buying them and how many more in the wild.
We need to ask for assistance from animal right groups to help us protect the rare species. The lions should come back to SOmaliland not Uganda because Sheikh SHarif is warlord in Mogadishu this lions belong to Somaliland. This is illegal and we have to write letters and urge them to bring back to Somaliland.
SAVE SOMALILAND'S RARE LIONS, PLEASE WRITE TO SOMALILAND GOVERNMENT, THEY HAVE TO SACK SOME PEOPLE AND RETURN THIS LIONS, WARLORD SHEIKH SHARIF IS GIVING THEM AWAY BECAUSE UGANDA GIVES HIM WEAPONS TO KILL HIS OWN PEOPLE.
WE HAVE TO WRITE TO THE BRITISH, AMERICAN EMBASSIES IN ADDIS, NAIROBI…SOMALILAND LIONS.
I totally support you Omar. This Sharif wants to give our rare lions over to Uganda and this other so-called 'contractor' to the AU wants to sell OUR LIONS due to their rarity.
Let's save our Lions and send them Hargeisa Zoo…where they truly belong!! and not to Kampala, Uganda!!!
Believe me bros/sis, this will be an investment to our future eco-tourism economy if we save these rare lions and eventually release them back to their native climate in Berbera region!
Hey Watch out ..the two orphan Lion Cubs are Somaliland property. The Silaanyo Govt. must raise
a complaint through the diplomatic channels for their return to Somaliland safe and sound or else
the TFG President Sharif will be held responsible. Good diplomatic job for DR. Omar.
Cheers.
Cont'd.
Also the criminal(s) who killed the Lions cubs poor mother must be investigated and brought to justice.
Cheers.
return lions home please.
Somaliland haa nolaato. Hawiyee are the friends of isaaq and somaliland. Let us cherise our friendship! Don't forget about us.when hamar gets safe, all somalilanders are welcome!
somaliland president should fire animal rights officers, they failed protecting our wild life.
it is indeed very sad to see how even Somaliland rare animals are being stolen I'm glad they are safe now and I hope this is a wake up call for our ppl and government to consider looking after it's animals and properties probably I hope one if the government's plans will be organising a safe environment for these animals to live on and to invest in the wild animals lives in Somaliland
To protect out environment and its wildlife, our government must first ban all hunting in Somaliland, severely restrict the production of charcoal, and do some thing quickly about the waste dumped everywhere. The previous regime even allowed the Arabs to come and shoot dead our wild life. This must stop. Secondly, the government must call environmental organisations around the World to assist us in taking a stock of the estimate number of rare species in our country side and advise us on ways to protect them. On a recent trip to Hargaisa after almost 17 years of absence, I shocked at the amount of waste littering ever place but was delighted to see some wild boars and a sakaaro (don't know the English term for it) still living in our country. We must protect our environment.
what are you on? qat? are you telling us somalis from south shot the lions in berbera? well done Somalis in mogadishu saving our wild animals. we now marqaalanders will sell anything, land, people and wild nimals.
keep them save in mogadishu untill we clean them from Somalia after the we will return to the their natural habitats.
who ever shot the mother lion and smuggled the cubs should be brought to court. and IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT SOUTH SOMALIS COULD DO THAT THEY EVEN SMUGGLE CHILDREN.and I don't think they will be save in moqdisho as it is not a save place even for humans.
I am deeply shocked that our goverment and security forces allowed this to happen. Where is the border police ? Where is the moral people for gods sake- To hide a and smuggle A real LION must take aleast some cooperation. Please also print this in AF-somali to other JSL Newspaper and TVChannels so we may never hear this kind of deeply humiliating stories.
@ Sharif From Walweyn Koonfur – Those Lions are not Neither going to Ugandan, or KOnfuria they are stying where they belong in dalka hooye ee Somaliland.
my question is why are they feeding a whole goat to this cubs while people are starving to death?
kids and cubs can both share the meat of the goat,,, they all deserve life.
@ ssc aduun dawarsato there is no starvation in somaliland, therefore we have plenty of food to feed even the animals,, feel free to join eating my terrorist friend
no starvation in somaliland? good god……..
i believe they both need to be feed, the people and the cubs too , for me starving is the same for human being or for animals.
Good question.
It is clear that a number of officials in the Somaliland administration are involved in wildlife trafiking. There are a number of documented cases during the time of the last governemt as well as the actual one. However, the mentioned lions have been confiscated in Mog.
The so called zoo in Hargeisa is for sure not a facility where something like a lion can be cept adequately. The circumstances how animals, with the okay of the government, are kept there are simply horrable.
It is almost impossible to keep lions in adequate conditons in captivity (whether it is Hargeisa, Mog or Uganda). It's also almost impossible to reintroduce them later back into the wild.
Generally cats (lions, cheetas and leopards) are coming from Ethiopia. Why the mentioned lion cubs should originate from Berbera is very unclear. That they have spots is not significant as simply all lion cubs have spots. There are no lions in entire Somaliland in the wild any longer (ocationally there might be an animal in the Haut originating from the Ogaden but would be killed very soon in Somaliland).
By whatever circumstances, wildlife traficking is a crime and when the animals are originating from Somali regions it means stealing resources from Somalis.
Your second report seems to be confused because at one time it says the lions were aboard a ship at Berbera port and then it says that the port manager of Mogadishu alerted Bancroft about the lions and they were then confiscated. How can the Mogadishu port manager have anything to do with things happening at Berbera? The logical thing might be that the lions were of the Berbera type but were being shipped out of Mogadishu.
ohh finally thank God, okay now this time we have 3 male lions and 1 female with two beautiful baby cub, here in hatgeisa, please am baging everybody who loves animals, they really need your help. can we make this place much better and easier for them? we can do it , and i am ready to do anything and everything to make them happy and to make them live better.
if there is anybody who will love to help this lions we have in hargeisa, somaliland please contact me with my address, or ask anybody who lives in hargeisa, i believe everybody knows about them. lats make a better place for the lions who really need help then we can talk about the one in the wild.
LOL @ Somaliland lions! They are lions in SOMALIA. There are lions in Eyl,Puntland! They are scattered through out Somalia but unfortunately, people are trying to steal them and ship them to the Middle East where they could be cage. These animals need to be protected.
This is the funniest piece of propaganda I have ever seen on this website..
Kulaha "Berbera lions"… LOOOOOOOOOOL
oh.. sorry its should say mogadishu lions or al shabab lions is that bether ?