Irani Kurdistan: Treating your pet like your best friend is something many of us do. But going so far as to smash an entire cake on their face is just as bad as doing so for a human.
In a viral video, a man is seen smashing a birthday cake in his pet lion’s face after which the big cat struggles to get the stuff out of its nose and face and walks around in distress.
The video was shared by Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathani in a Twitter post. He wrote, “Here is a cruel video of an #animal welfare worker smashing birthday cake into his pet #lion’s face. If a so-called ‘animal welfare worker’ can be so cruel with a pet lion, then God forbid where this world is headed!”
Here is a cruel video of an #animal welfare worker smashing birthday cake into his pet #lion‘s face. If a so-called ‘animal welfare worker’ can be so cruel with a pet lion, then God forbid where this world is headed!https://t.co/E0h6OXa0lC@WWF @WWFINDIA @peta @pfaindia @NatGeo pic.twitter.com/sFxHpX4Sh3
— Parimal Nathwani (@mpparimal) June 10, 2019
The man in the video has been identified as Blend Brifkani, the head of an NGO called Kurdish American Cooperation Organisation, through which he rescues endangered animals, raises them, provides them with care and treatment and releases them back into the wild. He was evidently celebrating his pet lion, Leo’s birthday with his friends. They were singing “Happy Birthday” in the Kurdish language when Brifkani smashed Leo’s face with the cake, leaving the animal stunned and stressed as it tried to clean its face with its paws.
After the video went viral, the Twitterati began to slam Brifkani for his actions, some asking “who is the real animal?” and calling the men cruel.
Even actress Raveena Tandon had a few words to say about the incident tweeting, “Pathetic bunch of loser human b…. hope they Rot in hell. Sometimes I do wish karma takes the form like our own Nagin movie,watch these a… die a writhing torturous death. (sic)”
Brifkani has since come out with an apology and explanation about the incident in an Instagram post. Attaching a video of him playing with Leo in his lush green backyard, interspliced with clips of him talking, he wrote, “I have never intentionally intended to abuse Leo, moreover, I would never want to hurt him in any way. The birthday video of me and Leo was pure emotions.. and excitement that I had while celebrating his birthday. He has grown to be my very best friend and I love him beyond words.”
He went on to explain how he came upon Leo in the wilderness and took him in. “… he was alone, small and weak without a mother. If he had gotten into the wrong hands, he wouldn’t have made it alive. I provided him a safe home, a good environment, veterinary care and everything needed to sustain the his health until he grew, (sic)” he wrote.
“I admit, it was wrong for throwing a cake in Leo’s face, I have let my emotions of excitement take over and I apologize to those whom I have offended. I am not an animal abuser, I love animals!… I assure you that Leo is safe and will soon return to the wild,” he concluded.
