Manama: A Filipina domestic helper has died in Kuwait five days after she was mauled by a lion kept by her employer as a pet.
The woman was taken to hospital by her employer who claimed that she had been attacked by a dog, local daily Al Rai reported on Friday.
However, the autopsy revealed she had been bitten by a lion and the police were informed.
The employer was summoned for questioning and, confronted with the evidence, admitted the helper had been mauled by his pet lion.
He was reported to the public prosecutor and the case is being investigated.
A Filipino report named the helper as Lourdes Abejuela and said that she had been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment.
However, one of Abejuela’s friends said the domestic helper, who had been working for the same employer for years, experienced headaches days after the discharge, 24 Oras reported.
Her employer took her back to hospital where she died on Wednesday, the report said.
Although strictly prohibited, keeping wild animals and exotic pets at home in some Gulf countries has turned into a fashion statement among the young and rich who see rearing them as a status symbol.
In September last year, a Kuwaiti man averted a possible tragedy when he succeeded in luring a runaway lion roaming the streets into his car before calling the police.
