Okaz/Saudi Gazette Rarely would one meet a young Saudi man who loves to tame wild animals but Yousif Al-Maibooq, 36, from this Eastern Province city is different. Keeping ferocious animals as pets is his passion. Al-Maibooq believes that the most ferocious animals can be tamed if the tamer has enough experience and knows the secrets of the job. "I started the passion of taming lions eight years ago. Lions can be tamed in different ways; it all depends on the tamer. Lions and the lionesses were used in a local festival here three years ago," Al-Maibooq said. Al-Maibooq says his animals love him and miss him when he travels. When he returns, they feel happy and start playing with him. He is not afraid of these ferocious animals turning against him one day because the taming method he uses is foolproof. Currently Al-Maibooq has two lions and a lioness, all from Ethiopia. The lions are four years and one year old while the lioness is two years old. He keeps them at his place in the Al-Nasriyah neighborhood of Qatif. "Both lions and the lioness were tamed when they were cubs. Besides, they are locked inside steel-made cages and they cannot run away. So people living in the neighborhood should not be worried about their safety. I am applying very strict measures and I do not allow anyone get closer to the cages," he said. The animals were transported by airplane to the Kingdom and Al-Maibooq paid SR400,000 for the transportation.
