Lioness spotted sitting on Moscow suburb roof, but owner lashes out at neighbor who put clip online, saying it’s perfectly normal
A row has broken out between neighbors in the Russian village of Kozno, after a video went viral on social media showing a large lioness sunning itself on the roof of a local house, seemingly oblivious to those filming nearby.
In the footage, which looks more like the savannah than a Moscow suburb, the seemingly surprised resident of the property next door claims the creature had escaped.
However, the owner of the lioness, who gave her name only as Natalya, told the Gazeta.ru site that, in fact, this was a tall tail and the neighbors simply had their claws out for her big cat. “We own a zoo,” she said. “We often block the road with a feed truck, and they are just airing their grievances.”
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“We have a center for helping animals in difficult situations. This lion lives with us officially. All the documents are in order, there is no crime here and the authorities have been notified. Vaccinations, permits, licenses – we have everything.”
Despite accusing her neighbors of being catty, Natalya said she was proud of what her rescue centre was doing, and its main purpose is taking in unloved creatures. “We have repeatedly rescued animals. In this case, a photographer threw out the lion cub after a bunch of photo shoots, and we took her in,” she said.
“She lives with us officially – we signed an agreement with the zoo and exchanged documents. Her mother could not feed her cubs, so we helped the zoo. They gave her to us so we would take care of her,” the animal lover added.
Local media reported that rescuers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations had turned up at the house to bring the lioness down from the roof. It is unclear whether the neighbors will be able to press paws on their feud.
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