Story By: Basant Essam, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
This is the moment a Saudi animal trainer frolics with his pet bear and lions at home like they are domesticated pets.
Osama Al-Daghriri, who has nearly 2 million followers on TikTok where he posts clips of him playing with his predator pets, said he keeps a bear and two lions at his home.
He told the news site Al Arabiya that he has been approached about opening a zoo in the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, but it is his dream to open one in Saudi Arabia.
Osama said: “I dream of getting a licence to open a zoo or safari park in Saudi Arabia. I learned about all the animals I loved as a boy and when I was 15 I read books and other material about the methods for taming and caring for them.
“I am still learning and practising everything related to predators and even visited Africa to learn how to deal with animals there as they need special skills and training methods to deal with them.
“The weather in Saudi Arabia is not inconsistent with raising predatory animals, because they arrive when they are young and adapt to nature and the climate here.”
The incredible footage shows the young man frolicking, chasing and tickling his bear and two lions, which appear very tame, playful, and well-trained.
However, there are some indications that authorities are starting to crack down on ownership of exotic pets especially by private persons.
Only recently a video emerged of a young girl walking a pet cheetah on a leash after it hops out of the posh car.
It is only the latest in dozens of videos showing locals with lions, cheetahs and other wild animals kept as pets.
Because of the damage to the credibility of Saudi officials who insist that permits are not being issued for lions, tigers and bears, and there is also a royal decree that prohibits their import.
It is unclear however how often these rules are enforced with the widespread social media footage indicating that most people do not seem too concerned about facing penalties for seemingly breaking the law.
