KUWAIT – The family and friends of a Filipina household service worker who was attacked by a lion are seeking justice for her death.
The victim, Lourdes Hingco Abejuela, died days after being attacked by a lion owned by her employer.
She suffered deep bite wounds on her left legs, according to her friend, Nieva Edullantes.
“I cried, it was painful. We left our family in the Philippines and this was what happened? We were hurt. I want justice,” Edullantes said in Filipino.
On Dec. 6, Abejuela was able to inform family and friends about what happened to her by posting on Facebook.
Initial investigation showed that Abejuela was doing laundry on the rooftop where the lion is kept. The cage was left unlocked and the lion attacked Abejuela.
“The lion attacked her. She was rushed to a hospital, but then the hospital was not informed that she was bitten by a lion. Her employer requested her not to tell what happened. So when she was in the hospital, she was released immediately,” Edullante said in Filipino.
Abejuela had been working for her employer for 15 years. She was discharged after her employer lied to doctors at the hospital, saying that a dog attacked her.
Under Kuwaiti law, residents are not allowed to own lions and other wild animals as pets. – Maxxy Santiago, ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau