The lion cub, which two-time Olympic judo champion Lasha Bekauri used to ride in a car, has been donated to the zoo.
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“He brought it this morning and gave it to us as a gift,” Zurab Gurielidze said, adding that a representative from the Ministry of Environmental Protection was also present at the event.
According to the head of the Tbilisi Zoo, Bekauri did not disclose where he had obtained the lion cub.
“He did not say where or how he got it. The Ministry of Environmental Protection is aware of the matter, and its representative was present throughout. We, of course, cannot accept [an animal] from a private individual, whoever it may be, unless a state organization is involved,” Gurielidze stated in an interview with the TV company Pirveli.
On December 24, Lasha Bekauri posted a video on the social network Instagram, in which he is seen driving his Porsche with a lion cub on the passenger seat.
It remains unknown how the lion cub ended up in Georgia. A special permit or certificate is required to import wild animals, issued by the country of origin. According to Georgian law, illegal importation is a crime punishable by two to four years in prison under the Criminal Code.
Despite repeated inquiries, neither the Ministry of Environmental Protection nor the Revenue Service has commented on the matter.
