Coronavirus: Egyptian lion tamer makes big cats perform in flat amid curfew, raising questions of mistreatment
- Trainer Ashraf el-Helw keeps animals on farm outside Cairo and brings them into city to film show in his living room
- His first online performance has drawn rave reviews on social media, but critics fear video presents skewed picture of the danger big cats pose
At his Cairo flat, located just off a busy road along the Nile River, Ashraf el-Helw, a third-generation Egyptian lion trainer, prepares for a show with his big cats.
Instead of a circus ring, his living room is his stage. He has already posted one online video of the lions performing tricks inside his home since Egypt imposed restrictions to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, including a nightly curfew.
He is now getting ready to film the second one and says more are in the works, claiming he wants to encourage people to stay at home amid the pandemic. The first video received rave responses from Egyptians on social media – but also raised questions over how the country’s most famous lion-training family treats its animals.
The family’s big cats are kept on their farm an hour outside Cairo, and el-Helw says he brings them into the city for the shoots. After filming is over, they go back to the farm, with the some 40 other animals who live there, including monkeys and other large cats.
During a recent visit by Associated Press to his flat, el-Helw showed off Joumana, one of the family’s female lions. He prompted it to put its paws on his shoulders and the two moved as in a dance.