A 4-year-old boy was killed in the eastern Libyan city of Ajdabiya after being attacked by a tiger while roaming his father’s farm, sparking a huge uproar that led to an urgent government response.
The head of the government assigned by parliament, Osama Hamad, announced a comprehensive ban on raising predatory animals in homes, farms or private places.
The government gave citizens a 15-day grace period to hand over predatory animals to the Ministry of Interior to secure them in designated places and banned the import or entry of these animals into the country. The government statement indicated that any violations of these decisions will be met with strict measures.
The breeding of predatory animals has increased in Libya in recent years, and lions and tigers have been seen roaming with their owners in the streets, public places and inside residential neighborhoods, especially in the city of Misrata and the capital, Tripoli.
The breeding of predatory animals has caused several incidents, the most famous of which was the death of a Sudanese worker after a group of lions he was caring for attacked him inside a private farm in the eastern city of Benghazi.
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