On 13.01.2020 a team of our organization met with officials of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP) to get better informed about the measures taken concerning the lion smuggling in the village of Stancic in Gjilan. Prior to the meeting, MESP responded to a request for access to public documents that our organization had made weeks ago to obtain additional information on the situation of the lion in question.

After the criminal complaint made by our organisation, and during the discussions within the working group at MESP, created by them to discuss the steps to be taken for the case, we got informed that: The Basic Court in Gjilan has made a temporary decision to sequester the lion, but in the absence of state-owned infrastructure for these animals, the lion will remain in the current location until a permanent decision is made on the lion’s future destination.

Meanwhile, the Basic Prosecution in Gjilan is investigating the smuggling case after the criminal report filed by our organization. We wish and hope that this case will be resolved as soon as possible and that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

Our organization was informed from the MESP that during the past week, an inspection visit has also been carried out by veterinarians engaged by the MESP, where it has been found that the infrastructural conditions for keeping the lion, as well as its health are good. Based on them, the lion is in good health as well as being well fed. For us, this is never a good piece of information because the lion is being kept by someone who had no regard for it from the beginning; therefore we requested from the MESP the minutes of the last visit of MESP and also to see the photos of the report. Our organization hopes that in the inspection report, veterinarians has also stated the emotional and behavioural state of the lion (anxiety, distress, stress, etc.). If not, we will ask for an extra visit.

Our organization is in contact with foreign NGOs that provide rehabilitative housing for this type of animal and to guarantee him a proper life and not in Kosovo where it will be used for commercial purposes.

We thank the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning for the cooperation!

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The photo was a “screenshot” from the video of a citizen who publicly posted the lion on January 7, 2020.

We are concerned that the lion is still exposed to people even though it is well known that the restaurant owner has committed serious legal violations. If the court has granted sequestration permission but our state has no place to house it temporarily, then why give the restaurant owners a chance to have fun with the lion?