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Meanwhile in the Czech Republic: Cyclist Gets Attacked by a Lion

By Monica Buck

A bizarre accident happened in a small Czech village of Zděchov near the border with Slovakia. A local lion breeder was taking a stroll with one of his pets when a cyclist hit the young animal. The lioness was on a leash but got scared and knocked the rider off his bike. However, the cyclist and his friend claimed they were alright, and went on with their trip. Looks like end of story? Well, not really. Because not an hour later, the breeder got surrounded by 8 policemen claiming his lioness actually attacked the cyclist.

The rider in question went to hospital, so the doctors could take care of the few scratches. It was when they heard the word lion that they naturally called the police. It turned out later that the cyclist hadnt signalled he was coming and had hit the lioness in the back. The scratches were most likely from the fall and not from the big cat. The bizarre thing about the accident is that the exaggerating rider isnt the only bad guy in the story.

Local journalists only needed to ask the first person they met to find out that the breeder doesnt have the proper permit to keep the lions. He doesnt even have a building permit for the enclosures. Local authorities ordered the enclosures to be torn down, but nothing has happened for the last year. Moreover, the authorities cannot take the animals away because although the breeder doesnt have a permit, he takes good care of the lions, so theres no animal cruelty going on. And thats the only thing the authorities can act on according to the current laws.

The valley of Zděchov

It comes as no surprise that the mayor of Zděchov is trying to make the most of this story. He sees it as an opportunity to get rid of the troublesome citizen for good. Theres pressure on the police force to classify this as public safety threat and to take the breeder to court. Well keep you posted if this story gets any weirder.

Meanwhile, tell us of the strangest thing youve ever encountered on the trails!