Montenegrins Search for Escaped Lion Cub in Coastal Resort

Montenegrin Agency for Environment Protection officials and volunteers gather in Podgorica. Photo: BIRN/Samir Kajosevic

Environmental Protection Agency official Darko Saveljic said Agency staff and volunteers were helping the local authorities to find the lost cub.

"That lion is a cub today, but they grow fast and in two or three months they will start eating dogs, cats or people. The situation is quite serious and we will use thermal drones to find the cub," Saveljic said.

"After we find the lion, it will be held shortly in Montenegro and then transported to one of the region's shelters for wild animals," he added.

On January 31, media reported that the cub had been found near Budva, but police soon denied the information. Local authorities urged citizens to look in their own backyards, while firefighters and Protection and Rescue Service organised searches in the Budva, Markovic and Majine districts.

Meanwhile, after photos of the cub were published on social media, one local hunter reported to police that his dog had been mysteriously slaughtered.

"There were reports that a lion was seen in hills around Budva, while one of the hunters also recorded his roar last night. We will try to find the lion and protect him, and warn against the animal smuggling problem in the country," civic activist Aleksandar Dragicevic told the media.

The Environment Protection Agency said it suspected that the cub was smuggled into Montenegro, as there was no trace of a request for its legal import. Montenegrin law stipulates three months to three years in jail for smuggling protected animals. The Law on Animal Welfare Protection says those who release dangerous animals into the wild may be fined between 800 and 25,000 euros.

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