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Footballer Criticised For 'Pulling' On Lion's Tail In Instagram Photograph

Footballer Criticised For 'Pulling' On Lion's Tail In Instagram Photograph

The Watford midfielder has come been slated for his pic

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

A Spanish footballer has come in for some criticism after he shared a photograph of him and his partner where they appear to be pulling on a lion's tail.

Watford midfielder Gerard Deulofeu posted the picture of him and girlfriend Mari Vilche to his Instagram story.

The ex-Barcelona man also shared a pic to his story of him crouching down behind a lion with a stick in his hand.

He then posted a third to his account, this time of the couple kissing as they stand next to another big cat, with the caption: "Puedo besar? Tú me dices..."

And though there is no suggestion that either the player or his partner had beaten the animals, the 25-year-old's holiday snaps haven't gone down too well with his followers.

Since they were shared, users have piled into the comment section to criticise the seemingly misguided post.

The player has be slated for posting some problematic holiday snaps.
Instagram

One person said: "Mate that lion is clearly under duress. Probably drugged up otherwise it would have eaten you and your Mrs!!"

A second wrote: "A drugged Loin ...not cool dude."

A third put: "Beast meets beast."

Another critic slammed the young player, writing: "This is animal abuse."

"You are a subnormal, an animal suffers all his life so that four subnormal as you have the photo," added another.

Not everyone was so upset by the athlete's posts, however, some just used the opportunity to ask him to return to their football club.

One wrote: "Please Come back to Milan."

Followers have claimed the lions were drugged.
Instagram

While another added: "Come back to Everton."

Deulofeu has not responded to criticism.

Last month a series of disgusting images emerged of severely neglected lions on a farm that breeds them to sell to tourist attractions.

The photos, which were taken on a farm in South Africa, show the beautiful animals covered in mange, with some almost completely bald. Their enclosures are tiny and they're living in cramped conditions.

Mange is a skin disease caused by parasitic mites and causes severe itching, hair loss, and the formation of scabs and lesions.

According to a report by HSI, up to 12,000 animals a year are bred on around 200 farms, in an industry that has been referred to as the 'snuggle scam'.

Pienika Farm was investigated by officers at the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the organisation was shocked to discover 108 neglected lions.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram

Topics: Instagram, SPORT, World News, Football, Interesting, Animals