Lioness died after wicked owner pulled her teeth and claws out so she can keep her as a pet

A lioness tragically died from her injuries after her cruel owner pulled her teeth and claws out so she could be kept as a pet.  She was also kept in a cramped space in Tlaquepaque, in the central Western Mexican state of Jalisco.
 

The animal, christened Madonna, weighed just 88lbs - less than a third of a normal adult lioness - and had open wounds on her back and legs when she was found living in a mechanic's workshop in Mexico.
 

She suffered such appalling treatment by her cruel owner Eitan Hernandez, 44 that she died from her injuries.

 

 

The local animal rights group, Federal Attoney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) was able to find a new home for Madonna in the US, but she was unable to recover from her horrific ordeal.
 

"The lynx which we recovered was also having difficulty moving because in contrast to the lion it seemed to have eaten too much and was severely overweight."
 

Both animals had been transferred to the Biopark Rescue Unit Coexistence Pachuca where vets tried to bring them back to health. The lynx is reportedly doing better.
 

The African lion is classified as an endangered species in Mexico for which paperwork is needed, and Eitan Hernandez may face a fine over his treatment of Madonna the lion and the lynx.
 

A lion has an average lifespan of 29 in the wild, and around 13 in captivity and, according to papers found in Mr Hernandez's home, Madonna was just 19 when she was rescued.
 

It is not the first time Mexican authorities have recovered an animal without claws and teeth.
 

Earlier in the year a bear named Invictus died after he was recovered from a circus cage and found to have lost his jaw through an infection caused by the fact his teeth had been pulled out.