Saudi Gazette report

BURAIDAH — A worker was killed on Sunday in a fierce attack by a lioness at the Osaylan Wildlife Park, located east of Buraidah city in Al-Qassim region. This was disclosed by the National Center for Wildlife (NCW) in a statement issued on Tuesday. No further details were known about the incident.

The statement noted that the center received a report about the illegal display of wild animals, including a number of predators, in the park in violation of the Environmental Law and its executive regulations for trafficking in wild animals.

The statement said that a team of specialists from the center and the branch of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, in cooperation with the security authorities, managed to take control of the wild animals which included a lion and a wolf, in addition to a number of mammals, birds and reptiles.

The team neutralized the danger from the animals and they were then transferred to the center’s shelter unit under veterinary supervision.

The center stated that trafficking in endangered wildlife, including their acquisition and display is an environmental violation that carries a penalty of imprisonment for up to 10 years or a maximum fine of SR30 million or both.

The center called on the public to report on any violations related to the executive regulations of the Environmental Law and wildlife regulations, including keeping or display of predators, through the reporting service on the “Fitiri” platform, or by directly contacting the security authorities.

It also warned against the danger of raising predatory animals. The center calls on everyone who owns or keeps predators to quickly hand them over to the center to avoid being caught and penalized.

The Wildlife Park in Osailan is one of the famous parks in the Qassim region frequented by families and youth. A wide variety of daily and weekly activities such as paragliding, winter festivals and camel race are being held at the park.