28-year-old Reece Oliver upset his neighbors after he constructed an enclosure on his property for two rescued African lion cubs Rora and Rocky and his puma Rogue.
When the council found out that he has been keeping wild animals in his home in Strelley, Nottinghamshire, since February, they demanded Oliver to get retrospective planning permission for the modifications he made to his home for the animals to stay.
Since then, the council had received 14 objections from the neighbors, worried about the noise and safety of their pets.
However, Oliver argued that the lion cubs that he is fostering were rescued from a circus in the Czech Republic in February and were to be put down if no immediate action was taken.
This led the Broxtowe Borough Council planning committee to reconsider their decision and authorized Oliver for the adjustments he made to his land in spite of the planners recommending the council reject his request since the enclosure was on the green belt land.
Nevertheless, Oliver won the decision by 7 votes to 5 last night. Oliver, who already has a puma named Rogue, paid to have the lion cubs shipped to the United Kingdom and put them in an enclosure in the grounds of his home.
Oliver, who is a show-jumper by profession, says that he is licensed to keep wild animals and was surprised that he had to apply for permission for the enclosure.
14 of his neighbors objected as they were concerned about the noise and the safety of their own pets.
He refused to give up and claimed that the lion cubs would be put to sleep if no one takes them in. Oliver said that the lion cubs are like his kids, whom he had since they were babies.
When Oliver convinced that council that the enclosure he had built for the lion cubs is larger than most zoos, giving them plenty of freedom, the ruled the decision in favor of him.
We hope that Oliver will keep doing his work of protecting wild and endangered animals.
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