LION's VILLAGE, Egypt: Just a few hours outside Cairo is a place where animal atrocities occur on daily basis. Because these horrors happen to lions, gazelles, ostriches, camels, dogs, rabbits, goats, monkeys, hyenas, lamas, turtles, guinea pigs and wild cats, nobody save a few activists really give it much thought. Ironically called “the lion village” – a photo of a tiger is emblazoned on the banner marking the location – a place survives on flocks of tour buses, in which companies and guides take a certain percentage to bring tourists to one of Egypt's worst kept secrets. Cramped, tiny and filthy cages with little or no water mark the “village,” breaking almost every code on animal welfare. Not that the Egyptian ministry of agriculture gives it much thought. “We are attempting to force places and menageries to uphold international standards, but our resources are limited,” said one ministry official when pressed to respond to the situation at Lion's Village. Dogs from different species are chained to fences with no space to move whatsoever. One dog was only centimeters from his own piss, with nowhere to run. There is no need to be a veterinarian to understand the massive suffering and various health problems that persist among the scores of animals that call the place home. Arguably most disturbing is the situation facing the ‘sanctuary's' namesake. The lions can be heard roaring and grumbling even before they come into view; laying near the jail-like cell, on the rather un-safari styled cement that has replaced the grasslands of their wild brethren. It is one of the few places in the world where you can eat an animal, while its family members gaze nearby. After finishing the meal, a guest can go and watch other animals perform in the circus held on the village's grounds. When that is finished, buying the meat or eggs of the animals that just performed is as easy as making an order. The restaurant serves ostrich, gazelle, goat and sheep meat. A visitor can also buy ostrich eggs and meat from the local store. Topping it off, a visitor could actually choose the animal and have it slaughtered right in front of them, as the other caged beings watch, the village's website said. Ahmed El Temsah, CEO and founder of the “village” was born in Alexandria and holds a interior decorating degree according to his bio on the website. The website also states that he is “number one in the world in training wild beasts.” He refused to speak to Bikya Masr on a recent trip out to what his assistant, Mohamed – who refused to give his full name – called an “animal sanctuary.” He said “all the animals get the best treatment and are allowed to run and play in a field behind the sanctuary.” When pushed to see this field, he avoided the question, pointing to the turtles and ostrich in the pen nearby. It is hard to tell whether such an area actually exists. According to animal rights activist Amina Abaza of the Society to Protect Animal Rights in Egypt (SPARE), the Lion's Village is breaking numerous international regulations on animal rights, but the government does little to help the struggling animals. “This place is horrifying,” she told Bikya Masr. “Did you see the dogs chained to the fence. It isn't right. They deserve to be allowed to run around and live a proper life.” On arrival, she went directly to the village's staff, yelling at them over the treatment of the dogs, which were chained so tightly they could barely stand upright. Their necks tight as the chain kept them in position for onlookers to view. Fighting and yelling ensued as Abaza delivered a letter describing the violations taking place at Lion's Village. The workers smiled, laughed and then became angered as she continued to defend the chained dogs' rights. She was asked to leave. The animal welfare activist is no stranger to international animals law, quoting from the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). A quick look at just a handful of animals raises questions, which the employees were unwilling to answer. Abaza believes that many of the animals are indeed endangered species and are banned from being held in captivity. Despite the negatives, visitors keep coming. One Russian couple and their 7-year-old son were present, snapping photos of the caged animals. The little boy became excited by the lionesses cramped into an area the size of a small bus, and out came the camera. “It is important to see the animals so we can educate,” said Yevgeny, the father. “Yes, it is horrible, but this is all there is in Egypt and we really want to show our boy these animals so he knows them.” The Russians are not the only ones visiting the village. As Abaza left, she noticed a Spanish tour group getting back on their bus after buying a stack of shawerma – the traditional meat filled wrap. She approached the guide, a middle-aged Spanish woman – another infraction on Egyptian law as only Egyptians are technically permitted to be tour guides in the country. “What are you doing coming here? It is wrong to support the cruelty that this place continues to do,” she told the woman. In turn, the guide simply chuckled and told her bluntly that she gets a cut from anything purchased by the group. Such is the life of exploited animals at the Lion's Village and elsewhere in Egypt. It's hard to forget the row of tiny coups that line the back of the village. Lions, the size of grown men, languish in the rooms, no larger than 2 meters across, roaring and banging to be let free. In the hot summer months, it is hard to imagine the giants of the African Savannah being confined to such a small area. BM
