Basra

- In the midst of environmental challenges in southern Iraq, from rising summer temperatures and increasing desertification, Ghali Saleh Al-Murshidi, 50, made several attempts to raise wild animals, most notably raising and taming lions.

The first attempt was in 1992 in raising rare animals, where he owned 22 deer and other animals.

Lions have a special meaning for Al-Murshidi. At the end of 2003, he bought two lionesses and a cub at the age of 75 days, from which he began his journey with raising lions. He created a small reserve in the Zubair district of Basra Governorate (south) and provided suitable conditions for her life.

Al-Murshidi considered - in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net - that the lion is a distinguished being in his nature in terms of appearance and behavior, so he loved him and was attached to him.

He pointed out that the lion goes through 5 life stages, from birth to 6 months, it is called Shebla, and from 6 months to a year it is called Durgham, and from one to two years it is called Ghazanfar, and from two to 5 years it is called Litha, and after that it is called Asda.

Nature reserves

Regarding the absence of natural reserves in southern Iraq, Rawaa Bannai, a university professor specialized in environmental research, said that the scarcity of qualified cadres to adopt such projects, in addition to the weak funding allocated to preserve animal diversity, and the lack of vegetation cover that suits the breeding of these animals, such as permanent and low-rise trees. Environmental degradation and the lack of a balanced and stable ecosystem have reduced the chances of success for wildlife sanctuaries.

As for ways to preserve animal diversity in the south of the country, such as lions, wolves and others, the university professor says that the diversity of these neighborhoods is described by the diversity of life, which includes plants and animals, and the availability of ingredients that achieve a stable ecosystem, and have certain geological features.

Also, dealing with predators such as the lion and the wolf needs people with scientific experience and a study of their lifestyle and behavior.

University professor Rawa Bannai confirmed that dealing with predators needs people with scientific experience (Al-Jazeera)

attitudes and behavior

Al-Murshidi returns, speaking about the behavior of lions through his upbringing, that she relates to her breeder, and in the event of a two-week absence from her, she strikes for food, and when meeting her she is keen to play with him, but in her violent manner.

He adds that he tames the cub with a set of behaviors that make his relationship with humans solid and so that he is not exposed to danger, but he points out that with that, the person must be careful about dealing with these animals.

Among the oddities that Al-Murshidi mentioned about the lion is that he inspects the newborns and checks them, and if he finds one of the cubs who are not of his genes, he kills him immediately.

Al-Murshidi owns 7 lions and the same number of lionesses, and each lioness gives birth to two and three cubs per year. In the year he has about 15 cubs that he sells, which brings him a profit that he uses to develop his reserve.

He explained that the price of a two-month-old cub is $4,000, and an adult lion has a value of more than $10,000.

Al-Murshidi expressed his ambition to breed tigers, pointing to the absence of the current capabilities to achieve this due to the high price of the tiger for about 40 thousand dollars, noting that it is of little breeding compared to the lion.

Concerning raising wolves, Al-Murshidi says that one of the characteristics of this animal is that it is righteous to its parents and does not mate with its sisters, and when it hunts for any prey it presents to its parents in the beginning and does not dispute with them eating, so it waits until they are finished and then eats what is left.

Iraqi lion breeder Ghali Al-Murshidi during his roaming among the lions (Al-Jazeera)

Costs

Each adult lion eats about 8 kilograms of meat per day, while a single cub eats about 4 kilograms of meat, and the daily average for each wolf is about 5 kilograms of meat.

Al-Murshidi blames the government and organizations interested in wild animals for not receiving any support from them in his field, noting that he pays the state 9 million dinars (6,200 dollars) annually to rent the land.

He pointed out that he costs 150,000 dinars ($105) for food for his animals in the reserve per day.

Al-Murshidi says that he did not expect him to continue raising lions, especially since everyone around him was afraid of the dangers of dealing with predatory animals. However, he discovered that the lion bears the qualities of loyalty and friendship, so he deals with him with confidence and reassurance.

Environmental activist Zainab Fadel Al-Tamimi says, "Breeding lions and wolves is a positive step because it will eventually form nature reserves over time that can attract the largest number of tourists, especially if it is under government sponsorship."

It calls on the state to provide nature reserves suitable for the living and reproduction of these animals, in addition to benefiting from the experiences of countries with similar environments that have succeeded in establishing reserves, so that Iraq can implement steps that lead to the success of the idea.