GAZA, July 10 Hamas officials in Gaza have returned a lioness to its home in a private zoo in the Middle Eastern city, more than a year after it was stolen at gunpoint.
Members of Hamas' executive force located the big cat that was taken from its Gaza home in 2005 during a recent raid on a reputed crime family's home, The Independent newspaper reported Tuesday.
Local authorities also seized a significant amount of weapons and drugs during the police raid.
The animal was found in undernourished and missing a part of its tail, along with several teeth and claws.
Saoud al-Shawwa, who owns the zoo the lioness was forcibly taken from, said the feline would receive immediate medical care to nurse it back to health.
"We will start a long, arduous treatment to ensure she can survive. She will only eat minced meat from now on, so we feel sorry for her," he told the newspaper. "They should punish the criminals who did this."
Copyright 2007 by UPI
