Animal rights activists discovered a family in Odesa that keeps a male cougar named Shuher in their house, which does not correspond to the animal's biological characteristics and endangers the owners, as well as Odesa residents and other animals, when it is walked through the city streets.
They demand that the law enforcement officers bring the owners to justice and take the cougar from the conditions that are not suitable for it, according to the public organization UAnimals on Facebook.
The Law "On the protection of animals from cruelty" prohibits the keeping of large carnivores and other animals that pose a threat to humans in apartments, private houses, homesteads, summer cottages or garden plots.
"The cougar is a nocturnal predator that usually leads a solitary lifestyle and stays away from people or other members of its species. This hunter does not distinguish between wild and domestic animals, hunting dogs, cats and birds at the right opportunity, and during the attack, this "cute cat" uses the element of surprise – it jumps on the back of the victim and breaks its neck", explained the animal rights activists.
They noted that the animal is definitely not comfortable in the house. And the owner of the cougar deliberately shows a cruel and irresponsible attitude towards the animal.
"He condemns her to illness and a painful death in conditions that do not correspond to her biological, species and individual characteristics," animal rights activists emphasized.
They turned to the national police with the demand to bring the guilty person to administrative and, if necessary, criminal responsibility. And also to seize the animal from the owner before the decision in the case enters into force.
"Wild animals are not toys and they should not live in someone's cage in an apartment or house. We hope for a positive decision in this case, which will put an end to the torment of the defenseless cougar," the message said.
As EcoPolitic reported earlier, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, eco-inspectors initiated forced removal of the lion, who lives in the Carpathian village of Starunya, due to the owner's refusal to voluntarily transfer the animal to a special shelter.
