Three Siberian tiger cubs destined for a zoo in war-torn Syria were rescued by a Lebanese animal rights group after being trapped in an unmarked, maggot-infested crate in Beirut's airport for almost a week. "They passed customs clearance, we have customs declarations," he said, adding that the tiger cubs were exchanged for some wildcats. He said the three tiger cubs were in one box, not separate, and the zoo dealer was stopped because of these reasons. This is not the first deal that the Mykolaev zoo has made with its Syrian counterpart, and Topchiy said he is considering sending more tiger cubs there. The country is also a signatory to a number of international conventions regarding animal welfare, such as CITES, the main legislation against wildlife trafficking.

Source: Egypt Independent April 03, 2017 13:07 UTC