Police seize illegally held lion cubs and monkeys seen in viral videos
Police locate exotic animals, but still searching for human suspects; culprits filmed monkey on a car dashboard, held lion cub in lap while in passenger seat
Police found and confiscated several illegally trafficked monkeys and lion cubs on Sunday that were seen in videos circulating on social media in days prior.
One lion cub was found in the southern Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj, while two monkeys were found in the nearby town of Tel Sheva. Later, an additional lion cub was found in central Israel.
On Thursday and Saturday, police were able to locate two other monkeys.
The animals were handed over to the care of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, which will later transfer them to shelters to undergo further treatment and medical examinations.
Ben Rosenberg, head of the agency’s Wildlife Protection Department, said to Ynet that the animals would not be suited to be released back into the wild due to trauma they underwent in captivity.
Police launched the probe after videos went viral online of people driving with the exotic animals — a monkey chained on a car dashboard and a lion cub in a passenger’s lap — in breach of animal welfare laws.
The suspects also took photos of the animals, placing the monkey near a pack of cigarettes for comedic effect.
גן החיות החדש – ברכב: תועדו נוסעים עם קוף וגור אריות. המשטרה חוקרת את המקרה@Itsik_zuarets
(צילום: באדיבות המשטרה) pic.twitter.com/S25TSU5pU8— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 5, 2025
A police spokesman said that officers will “continue their efforts to locate the suspects involved and rescue the illegally held animals.”
