Controversial Businessman Mauled by His Lions: The Tragic End of Jozef Bajanek’s Illegal Zoo

Jozef Bajanek was mauled by his lions. The controversial businessman was often criticized for selling his big cats to anyone who paid enough money. The welfare of the animals was rarely at stake.

Bajanek was sure that his big cats are harmless

The Slovakian portal Noviny reports on the tragic event. On the morning of May 16, when the animal breeder didn’t return from the morning feeding session, his family began to worry. Bajanek’s remains are said to have actually been discovered by his family in the animal enclosure. In order to be able to recover the body parts, the lions had to be euthanized by two veterinarians.

Although hunting is part of the natural behavior of big cats, the 56-year-old was convinced that the animals were harmless. He was sure that the animals trusted him. That’s why she mostly just fed from her hand, even without protective clothing.

Illegal zoo was often criticized and made headlines

Jozef Bajanek earned his living by breeding and showing big cats. His private zoo “Ranč pri Žiline” is located on a large private facility in Kysucké Nové Mesto, in northern Slovakia. According to the “aktuality.sk” portal, he was also happy to sell his big cats to influencers who wanted to present the animals as accessories in their posts.

In addition to illegal breeding and display of his animals, he is said to have secretly sold them to middlemen. The big cats usually brought these to China, where they were processed into medicine. When he was filmed by investigative journalists with a hidden camera in 2020, Bajanek admitted that he had no problem with it. He asked for almost 5,000 euros per baby animal.

In order to counteract such behavior towards the animals, the Slovakian state has banned the keeping of big cats, bears and primates on private farms since 2020. Exceptions apply to stock animals.

According to “aktuality.sk”, Bajanek was already banned from keeping his big cats in 2019. But all the 56-year-old changed was a name change for his private zoo. The “zoo” became a “ranch”. That was enough to make the authorities turn their backs on him. The private zoo was closed after the accident.