Dean of an animal park in South Africa, Dean Schneider has become a real starInstagram. His more than 7 million subscribers love his impressive videos in which he plays with his lions or hyenas. But there he is in turmoil, accused of mistreatment.
It all comes from a video he posted himself. It is about a year old but has reappeared recently and has gone viral. We see a young lioness scratching the 27-year-old Swiss’s shoulder, lying among his wild beasts. Dean Schneider straightens up, his face full of anger, then punches the animal three times. A “shocking” scene, believes the “Daily Mail“
Agency “inundated” with complaints
This sequence, writes “The TimesWas shared with the South African national animal welfare agency, which said it had been “inundated” with complaints. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) has also said it is willing to investigate the case.
While waiting and facing this outcry, Dean Schneider decided to explain himself and to reply on Instagram. In a video of more than 6 minutes published on Saturday, he claimed to be the victim of a hate campaign.
“To show him the limits”
On the bottom he denounces a sequence of 5 seconds out of context. He explains that he did not hit the young lioness on the head but on the paw, since she had just scratched him, “to show him the limits”. He claims that everyone who follows him knows that this lioness is by far the most affectionate towards him. “Do you really think an abused or mistreated animal would behave this way?” He asks, calling the whole story a “joke”.
The Swiss still claims not to have been approached by the NSPCA. And invite animal advocates to come to his park to see for themselves how he treats his residents.
This defense had already been seen 1.7 million times on Monday morning. And subscribers seem convinced by Dean Schneider’s explanations: the comments left are largely positive, notes “Blick“
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The Swiss defended himself in this video.
R.M.
Created: 05.05.2020, 06:46
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