Rare zoo lion cubs poisoned

Rare Abyssinian lion cubs are being poisoned at a zoo in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, and their bodies are then sold on to be stuffed.

The zoo, founded by Ethiopia's former Emperor Haile Selassie, says it poisons a number of cubs each year because it does not have the space or money to look after them.

"We can send them to the forest and to some governmental palaces but most of the time we send them to the taxidermists," said the Lion Zoo administrator Muhedin Abdulaziz.

He said the taxidermists pay about $175 (£90) for each cub and they are then sold for $400 (£210).

Emperor Haile Selassie started the Lion Zoo 57 years ago.

It collected lions from across the country and was a symbol of his reign.