Lions tormented and stolen by gang butcher in South Africa

Cruel gangster!

The lion lover Gert Claasen, 48, has been left heartbroken after six of his lions suffered a grisly fate, with three of them were butchered into parts and three other were stolen. 

Online photo

Online photo

Gert believed the incident was organised by a gang of poachers targeting the six lions to harvest them for muti, which is used in black magic potions sold by traditional healers.

Gert is the owner of a remote farm in Petrus Steyn in Free State, South Africa. He found the animals were killed and stolen when he made his regular check for them. 

Online photo

The lower jaws and paws were chopped off by poachers who had cut their way through a fence. They broke into his farm and fed lions with poisoned chickens. 

One lioness can be seen being skinned and her organs were removed while one white female and two brown females remain missing, among which two were pregnant and were expected to have 13 cubs together.

Online photo

Police have been launched an investigation. Gert said, "I came upon the most ugly scene I have ever seen in my life. Even my workers cried when they saw them. I had brought them up since they were cubs.

"I believe they were killed for muti and the other lions stolen for their bones.

"It is so heartbreaking. There were 13 cubs inside my lionesses. They lived with me for a year in my house. They are my children. If anyone has any information on them there is a reward."

Online photo

Online photo

Friends of Gert reveal he treated his lions like children. A vet has taken samples from the corpses of three at the scene to find what kind of poison was used.

Gert will bury the mutilated bodies on his farm and he is reviewing security at his farm and plans to buy new guard dogs while his old ones were also poisoned two weeks before the incident.

Online photo

Online photo

LONDON (AP) — John Stones was substituted early after sustaining a suspected adductor injury in England's friendly match with Belgium on Tuesday.

The Manchester City defender was replaced by Joe Gomez after 10 minutes at Wembley Stadium.

Stones signaled that he was in discomfort after kicking the ball in the opening minutes, which prompted England to quickly prepare Gomez to come on.

“Of course we're disappointed if he's got a problem. It looks like it's in the adductor area,” England manager Gareth Southgate said. “He came in on the back of not playing for two weeks, so it's not about overload. But I hate sending players back to their clubs injured.”

The game ended in a 2-2 draw after Jude Bellingham’s equalizer in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Youri Tielemans had scored either side of an Ivan Toney penalty in the first half.

Stones is the latest injury concern for Southgate and City boss Pep Guardiola after Kyle Walker hurt his hamstring in Saturday's game against Brazil.

England coach Gareth Southgate speaks to England's John Stones during a friendly soccer match between England and Brazil at Wembley Stadium in London, Saturday, March 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Stones and Walker are both key players for club and country and are expected to be part of Southgate's squad for the European Championship at the end of the season.

City, meanwhile, is defending its Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup trophies in the final month of the campaign.

City plays Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals on April 9 and 17.

It also faces Premier League leader Arsenal in a top-of-the-table clash at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.