This Wooden Container With Air Holes Was Held In An Airport For A Whole Week Before Somebody Opened It

Jul 03, 2019 by apost team

The arrival of an unmarked wooden box at an airport in Beirut, Lebanon, went unnoticed by workers for an entire week. The box was a little over a foot tall and had holes punched in it on all sides. There was nothing special about the box until security workers opened it and received the shock of their lives.

According to Animals Lebanon, inside the box were three Siberian tiger cubs. The endangered cubs were four months old and did not look well after spending more than a week inside the box. All three of the cubs were weak and were covered with feces and urine. The box was so small the tigers were unable to stand up inside. Rescue workers say it is a miracle the tigers survived the ordeal. Animals Lebanon says no shipper or receiver was marked on the box and there was no indication the Siberian Tigers were inside.

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A brief investigation revealed the Tigers were being transferred to a zoo in Damascus, Syria after spending time at a Zoo located in Mykolaev, Ukraine. Paperwork issues caused the box to be delayed for seven days in Lebanon. The cubs were both malnourished and dehydrated at the time they were discovered in the box. The Executive Director of Animals Lebanon, Jason Mier told The Telegraph that the "crate arrived with no markings and no documents and didn't meet the international regulations for transporting endangered species, which could have been why it was held up at the airport."

Animals Lebanon petitioned a judge to leave the Tigers in their care for the time being. The judge granted the order. The animal rescue has provided the Tigers with the medical attention they needed and space where they can run around and get exercise. According to Animals Lebanon, the pads of the Tigers' paws were raw and red from soaking in the urine. The three Tigers were vaccinated and Animals Lebanon discovered only one of the tigers possessed a microchip.

Animals Lebanon is trying to keep the cats from being sent back to the Ukraine writing on Facebook: "Big cats can be worth tens of thousands of dollars on the black market. The owner is fighting to get them back. And we are fighting for the Tigers." However, Volodymyr Topchiy, that zoo's director from Ukraine, told ABC cited by The Telegraph that the Tigers' transfer was completely legitimate, "They passed customs clearance, we have customs declarations," he said, he claimed that issues with paperwork and government stopped their transfer to Syria. 

Are you concerned for the plight of the Siberian Tigers found in the box? Do you have any similar stories or experiences? Leave a comment below. Send this article to your friends so that awareness for this issue can be raised.