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Israeli police have launched an investigation after videos surfaced on social media showing two lion cubs and a monkey in what appears to be a building in southern Israel, authorities said Wednesday.
The footage, which includes voices speaking in Arabic, is believed to have been filmed in Israel, police said. Officers from the Negev district have opened an investigation into the matter.
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Footage circulating on social media
Later on Wednesday, officers from the Segev Shalom police station located a monkey in the Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj in the Negev that was being held illegally in an abandoned hut. The monkey was transferred to the Nature and Parks Authority inspectors for further treatment and medical examinations.
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Adva Peretz, a wildlife trade and import inspector with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, said the agency is working with police to locate those in possession of the animals. “Lions are wild animals, and their place is in nature—not in homes,” Peretz said.
“They are social animals that require complex care. They are also dangerous and, as they grow, can pose a serious threat to humans. We will do everything possible to return them to their natural habitat.”
This is not the first time illegally smuggled lion cubs have been discovered in Israel. In a notable case in February 2023, a lion cub named Abu Malik — later renamed Zion-Niv — was found in a hideout apartment in central Israel. Authorities determined that the cub had been smuggled into the country from Jordan.