A male lion confined in a rusty and deteriorated cage, with its ribs visibly showing and having gone without food for "a whole month": this is the situation that activist Ailen Vargas Abella is reporting on Facebook regarding the only feline residing in the zoo of the municipality of Florida, in the province of Camagüey.
The photographs accompanying the complaint show the animal confined in an enclosure made of rusted corrugated iron bars, with a dirty soil floor, debris, and bones on the ground, and peeling concrete walls. The physical condition of the lion reflects severe malnutrition.
"Although it is still alive after a whole month without food, the animal is locked up, but certainly the conditions of the cage are NOT the most adequate," wrote Vargas Abella, directing his alert to the managers of Comunales Services of Florida.
The author of the complaint points out that the responsibility does not lie solely with the local caregivers, but also with the provincial institution, which in 2018—when Florida hosted the provincial event for July 26—committed to transferring the animal to the provincial zoo. That commitment has remained unfulfilled for eight years.
"I warn about the situation of this animal that NOT only suffers from the abandonment of the locals who are supposed to take care of feeding it, but also from the provincial institution," stated Vargas Abella.
In addition to the condition of the animal, the activist describes the zoo's environment as "almost an impenetrable jungle due to the overgrowth," and warns that part of the perimeter fence located just behind the lion's cage has already been removed.
This is not the first warning regarding this case. In December 2025, independent journalist José Luis Tan Estrada had already reported that the same animal had gone eight days without eating. The new report extends that period to a full month.
Vargas Abella invoked in his publication the Decree-Law No. 31 on Animal Welfare and Resolution 140 of 2021, Cuban regulations in effect since July 2021 that explicitly prohibit "all forms of mistreatment, abuse, torture, abandonment, and cruel killing of animals" and establish that animals have the right to "receive attention, care, respect, and protection."
The practical application of these regulations in state facilities has been virtually nonexistent, according to the accumulated reports.
The case of the Florida zoo fits into a pattern of widespread degradation documented throughout the island.
In April 2026, extreme neglect of lions at the Casino Campestre zoo in Camagüey was reported, with images showing animals with protruding ribs and marked hip bones. The management of that facility responded to the criticism by acknowledging that the economic crisis impacts their feeding and the operation of the place.
Similar situations have been reported at the 26 Zoo in Havana, at the Colón Zoo in Matanzas, described as "a cemetery in life", and at the facilities in Santiago de Cuba and Sancti Spíritus, where there has been no running water service for the animals since 2023.
"The lack of commitment and the irresponsibility of those who are supposed to ensure the animal's well-being are the result of the depressing situation at the zoo and the lion, which is almost IMMORTAL, considering the neglect it has been subjected to," concluded Vargas Abella, who announced that he will return to the topic soon.
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