Animal welfare associations against Ibrahimovic: “In 2011 he killed a lion”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is used to dividing, not only on the pitch. The 39-year-old AC Milan striker ended up in the storm, at home and on social media, after what was published by the Swedish newspaper “Expressen”: the name also appears in a report-investigation that denounces the malpractice of celebrities who kill and import endangered species by Ibra.

The player, who in recent weeks had also made his return to the national team after leaving at the end of Euro2016, would have killed a lion in 2011 in South Africa, taking home the skin and the head of the animal. Contacted by local media, the Swede hid behind a no comment and in the meantime came under attack: hunting lions is, under certain circumstances, legal in South Africa but it is an animal that appears as “vulnerable” in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The first reactions were triggered by a Twitter post by Ibrahimovic himself who defends the city of Offerdal, in Sweden, accusing the wind industry of not taking care of nature. “Did you tweet this about how much you love nature before or after shooting a lion in South Africa?” One of the vitriolic comments. The animal rights association (Peta) also expressed its anger.

«Zlatan Ibrahimovic likes to call himself a fierce and strong” lion “. But the fact that he enjoys shooting lions and other animals proves that he is a miserable coward who gives in to his violent tendencies – the attack – It takes no skill or strength to corner and slaughter a captive animal. The animal has never had the opportunity to escape, defend or survive. Anyone with a conscience would shudder at the thought of killing animals for fun or exposing parts of their bodies. Ibrahimovic should recognize this and disapprove of the “trophy hunt” ».