SAD SIGHT Harrowing moment ‘malnourished’ lion suffers a violent seizure on floor of his enclosure in filthy Philippines zoo

The four-year-old male Asiatic lion was filmed shaking on the floor in shocking footage captured by a visitor to the zoo in Manilla, The Philippines

By Guy Birchall

18th September 2018, 6:01 pmBy Guy Birchall

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THIS is the harrowing moment a lion was filmed having a seizure on the floor of his zoo enclosure.

Four-year-old Asiatic lion, Raffy, collapsed and started violently shaking at the Manila Zoo in the Philippines on Sunday afternoon just before 3pm.

This is the harrowing moment a lion was captured having a seizure in a zoo in the Philippines

Onlooker Mark Lee said the animal appeared ''malnourished'' and called on the zoo to investigate incident.
He said: ''The lions in the zoo appeared malnourished. The animal in the video was having a seizure. I think that the zoo really needs to look into this a lot more.
''I know that volunteers do check-ups once a week on animals but it is not enough so I do hope that the management of Manila Zoo will further improve in the future.''
Mark added that he didn't report the incident to zoo staff because moments later it started raining and he couldn’t find them.

Raffy the lion was videoed seizing on the floor at Manila Zoo on Sunday

He said: ''I didn't report it because I don't know much about the place or where I can locate the vet.
Second, I wasn't the only witness.
“Third, I admit I wasn't able to report it to the staff because the other families who witnessed the incident and were panicking and shouting for help immediately went somewhere else.
''And also due to sudden heavy rain. I had no umbrella that time. Lastly, I have no bad intention. I just want the government to properly focus on aiding Manila Zoo in order to preserve one of our tourist attractions here in Manila.''
Heinrich Patrick Peña Domingo, officer-in-charge Manila Zoo Zoological Division said today that Raffy had recovered and that they were still doing tests to find out what caused the seizure.

Zoo visitors commented on the filthy conditions the big cats were kept in when they posted the footage online

He said: ''Right now, Raffy is okay. We did not see any problems with him today.
“He has normal appetite so far.
“We started a medical diary to note changes in the lion's appetite and behaviour as a first step.''
A veterinarian who has contact with Raffy said that since the seizure she was being checked over by vets and zoo keepers.
Leo Trinidad Almelor said: ''Raffy's final diagnosis will be stated once the attending veterinarians get his respected results.

The male Asiatic Lion was filmed violently twitching on the filthy floor of the zoo in the Filipino capital

“After proper diagnosis, his treatment will be followed and of course rehabilitation.
''It is very alarming that an emergency situation such as this was not informed to any authorities in the zoo.
“Vets were only told hours ago when we notified about the video.
''Any emergency case should be notified immediately to address the situation and be given the best intervention as soon as possible.

Two female lions also paced around the cave while Raffy suffered on the floor

“Be it with people or animals, emergencies should be addressed medically and professionally & not posted on Social Media.''
Online reports dating back to complain about the conditions at the zoo calling them "terrible".
Earlier this month the heart-breaking conditions zoo animals were subjected to in North Korea were revealed.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7289893/harrowing-moment-malnourished-lion-suffers-a-violent-seizure-on-floor-of-his-enclosure-in-filthy-philippines-zoo/