Parking disputes are becoming life-threatening. In the
last five years, we have been reading stories about fights over parking that led
to deaths. Recently, an incident occurred in Kuwait where a lion was used as a
weapon. A Kuwaiti decided to end a quarrel with his neighbor over a parking lot
in a very dangerous way by bringing the wild animal to have the final word.

The neighbor had objected that his parking space was
occupied by his neighbor’s guests in front of his house on a daily basis, and
after a heated verbal argument, one of the men brought his lion to scare his
neighbor! The neighbor was forced to hide in his car in fear of his life until
some people managed to calm the owner of the lion and took him away.

This incident may be seem funny to some, but it reflects
the fact that there are people who may commit criminal acts over parking.

Raising predators in homes is a strange phenomenon and no
less dangerous than having weapons and ammunition at home. Another incident
occurred in 2013, when a citizen found a lion roaming in the street after escaping
from its owner’s house. The man called the police and a veterinarian was
brought to deal with the situation. It was said that its owner was about to
sell the lion to another person, but they had an argument and the beast got a
chance to escape.  

The presence of predators in the possession of some people
who cannot tame them may be a symbol of wealth and dominance, but I think this is
dangerous because it may attack them or get out on the street at any time and
kill innocent people. It is necessary to stop those who keep predators as pets.

In 2014, a Filipina helper was killed in Kuwait by a lion
in the house of her sponsor, who told security authorities she was bitten by a
dog. But her injuries said something else and showed that the death was due to a
lion’s bite. Officials must stop those who acquire predators and punish anyone
who owns them with imprisonment and a fine. People’s lives are not cheap and
not games to play with.

It is really odd to see some people taking these animals
with them in their cars to show off in front of people, which can cause
uncontrollable disasters, especially since predators are difficult to control
if attacked by pedestrians on the street. I believe the state must monitor these
people and impound the animals.

This article was not meant to list the crimes or sad incidents that have occurred due to disputes over parking, but the lesson is that some people do not hesitate to use a weapon to harm others, whether it is a predator or a gun. Eventually, one will go to prison and the other will get injured, if not killed.

By Muna Al-Fuzai

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