In tranquil Nebra in Saxony-Anhalt, a leopard attacks a model during a photo shoot and seriously injures the woman. The incident raises many questions.
Nebra – As if nothing had happened, the two leopards Troy and Paris loll around in their homes. Not far away, the piebald pony Jordan looks with interest towards the gate. Otherwise it is quiet on Wednesday in the small courtyard – only a stone’s throw away from the place where the famous Nebra Sky Disc was found.
Apart from the media presence, there is no trace of the drama that must have happened the day before in the small town in the Burgenland district of Saxony-Anhalt.
On Tuesday, one of the two leopards seriously injured a 36-year-old woman in a photo shoot. According to information from the police, the wild animal is said to have bitten the model from Thuringia in the head area in an enclosure. The woman was taken to a special clinic by helicopter. The officers did not provide any further information about her condition. How it came to the attack, they also initially left open. At first it was also unclear who organized the photo shoot and whether other people were there.
Holder initially wants to remain silent
The 48-year-old owner of the animals did not want to comment on the event. In coordination with the Burgenlandkreis district administration and the police, she decided to remain silent about the incident, she wrote via a short message service. A police spokesman in Halle said that she was being investigated as the person responsible for the animal on suspicion of negligent bodily harm.
According to internet advertising, the 48-year-old had offered the leopards as well as other animals for photo shoots. The so-called senior citizens’ residence for show animals in the south of Saxony-Anhalt has only existed for a few years. There animals are housed in show business after their “working life”.
In June 2019, the two leopards moved in, according to the sanctuary’s website. The area is a private facility in the middle of a district of Nebra. The owner says she has been an animal trainer for more than 20 years and has worked in several circuses and amusement parks.
Neighborhood criticism
Much of the neighborhood doesn’t seem to be happy about their four-legged neighbors. Some raised security concerns. In addition, the leopards sometimes deprive them of sleep. Others questioned whether the accommodation on the comparatively small farm corresponds to animal welfare.
Before the arrival of the leopards in 2019, according to neighbors, the owner is said to have asked the residents by circular letter to support them in taking in the animals and to “not put any obstacles in their way”. The animals should not be exposed to an uncertain future, since all “requests to possible rescue centers” have been rejected so far. “The safety for people and animals is absolute and 100 percent”, it says in the letter.
In Saxony-Anhalt, incidents with wild animals had recently increased. Only recently a snake escaped from an apartment in Haldensleben.
From the point of view of the state animal protection officer of Saxony-Anhalt, Marco König, the authorities very often do not even know who privately keeps animals such as leopards. Therefore, the private keeping of dangerous animals must be clearly regulated by law. The aim is to find a regulation within the previous state government, said König. Meanwhile, the animal rights organization Peta is calling for the facility in Nebra to be closed. dpa
