Lions in Albania, the 'fashion' of criminal groups that signifies power and strength

 

Big cats (a term referring to lions) symbolize the latest fashion of the world of organized crime, businessmen and influencers. Having a big 'cat' signifies the success, power and strength of the opponent you may be facing.

The American magazine "New Lines Magazine" thus refers to the trend that has invaded the Balkans, and especially Albania, where animals such as lions and tigers have already become common.

As the magazine writes, it is illegal for individuals to keep exotic animals such as lions. Official ownership is limited to zoos, wildlife parks and approved establishments with special permits. But that hasn't stopped high-profile Albanians from taking lions and displaying them on their social networks.

"New Lines Magazine" brings the example of Ildi Patjon, the late owner of the HitFit fitness club, who died in a motorcycle accident earlier this year. Pajtoni kept a lion in his apartment with which he often appeared in photos and videos from his sports car.

"Other local businessmen have posed with their lions - one in front of his house alongside two SUVs, another with his cub wearing a gold chain around its neck. Albanian rapper Noizy has been seen in videos shared by fans on TikTok playing with two lions", writes the American magazine.

The owner of Royal Blue, 56-year-old ex-policeman Gëzim Çela, was arrested in Kosovo last year. Çela was extradited to Albania in March and charged with involvement in an organized criminal group for drug trafficking. When police raided his family's home, they found guns, grenades and armored cars. Before selling heroin and cocaine across Western Europe, Cela ran a prostitution ring in Italy. Shortly before his arrest, he transferred the title of the luxury restaurant to two of his family members.

When the magazine contacted Royal Blue's new owners to ask about the lions, they declined to comment.

Even the Bajrs of Shkodra seem to have been seduced by the fashion of lions. A TikTok account based in Shkodër posted a video of the lion "King Didi" walking in a yard. The cars of the Bajri family stand in the background with their identification plates visible. There have been no police arrests for the illegal ownership of the lions, according to a well-informed person living in Shkodër, who said the animals likely belonged to the Bajres.

The founder of "Justice for Animals Albania", Oli Pero, told "New Lines Magazine" that keeping animals such as lions and tigers, "is a matter of status for them" .

"I own a lion, I'm like the sheikh of Dubai," said Oli Pero. She was indirectly referring to Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's pet lion Moochi, a cat with a white mane, which he would pet and feed pieces of meat to on his Instagram account.

Keeping big cats is very expensive. On the black market, lion and tiger cubs cost between $5,000 and $10,000, said Ariel Vasili, an Albanian veterinarian specializing in wild cats. They also eat more than 10 pounds of meat a day, which translates to an expense of $2,500 a month, in a country where the average monthly wage is about $900.

"Sitting in a cafe in Tirana, Vasili described the way of thinking of his customers. “We want to flaunt … a nice car, a house, six or seven lovers that you keep with your money. … And now the new thing is lion cubs. If you're in the mafia, mobster, you have to have a lion."

Vasili estimates that in Albania there are up to 90 lions that are kept illegally by private owners. He said they were bred in captivity in nearby Albania, Serbia or North Macedonia and suspects they originated from the same source because they often suffer from the same disease, feline infectious peritonitis, a relatively rare viral infection that occurs in all over the world", writes the magazine.

Another high-profile lion, King Simba, rose to fame two years ago when his owners at the Arbëria Place hotel near the northern city of Shkodra posted a video of him on TikTok. Accompanied by the song "Gangster's Paradise" by Coolio, a man in shades holds the cub Simba, while a golden Audi A8 luxury car and a curvy woman in a leopard print jumpsuit pose in the background.

Like the royal blue lion, King Simba is now too old to stay in the restaurant and has moved into the home of hotel owner Ervis Martinaj, Albania's gambling kingpin, who has not been seen since August 2022.

"Simba is now quite big, about a high courtyard," a waiter from the hotel cafe tells us. A red neon sign on its brick walls reads: "The world is yours" - a line from the character Tony Montana in the movie "Scarface". (Arberia Palace management declined to comment when asked about Simba's whereabouts and well-being.)

Martinaj was found guilty of a number of charges in 2021, including "conspiracy to commit murder" and disappeared a year later. It is not clear if he is still alive, but many Albanian media speculated that he met a violent end at the hands of a rival syndicate and that his last message home was "Don't forget to feed the lion".