A PRIDE of starving lions were forced to eat their own TAILS at a horror zoo where they were kept in torturous conditions.
Footage of the gaunt animals at the Black Jaguar-White Tiger Foundation in Tlalpan, Mexico City, has sparked international outrage.
The remains of hundreds of big cats have also allegedly been discovered dumped in a mass grave at the disgraced wildlife refuge.
The majestic creatures were seen looking frail and depressed as they forlornly paced around their cramped metal cages.
Mexican actor Arturo Islas Allende, 35, helped publicise the untold agony of the lions, branding their treatment "a holocaust".
He also accused the owner of the foundation, Eduardo Mauricio Moises Serio, of illegally selling and breeding lion, tiger, jaguar and leopard cubs.
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Harrowing video shows the emaciated lions collapsing in their small cages in the blistering heat, while others sport agonising sores over their bodies.
The constant lack of food and nutrition has saw some of the animals gnaw at their own tails in sheer desperation.
A former employee at the hellish zoo, activist Yael Ruiz, first reported the foundation to the authorities after working there for two years.
She says the big cats began eating their tails "out of anxiety" after being forced to live in monstrous conditions.
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Arturo complained he just "doesn't understand how for so long, no one has done anything" to put a stop to the suffering of the animals.
He said: "The place is now under the control of the authorities, the owner is a fugitive from justice, he has not appeared anywhere.
"We have just had a meeting with the Mexico City authorities so veterinarians can start rescuing the emaciated animals.
"The foundation did not have the correct papers or legal permits, the reality is it was completely clandestine."
Horrified inspectors have since reportedly found pits with what they believe are the bones and remains of more than 200 big cats.
Arturo continued: "There are pits with the bones of buried animals.
"The foundation said they had 400 felines, yesterday a count was carried out with the authorities and only between 180 and 190 are accounted for, less than half of them."
There are pits with the bones of buried animals.
The actor also claimed that employees have not been paid for months before the evil owner scarpered.
He added: "The owner also did not pay the rent and has outstanding bills of around MXN 1 million (£40,612).
"The foundation received millions of dollars in donations that did not reach the animals and is linked to tax evasion.
"The breeding of cubs was ongoing.
"The reality is, the foundation placed animals in the hands of buyers and, over time, they became a problem for the customers and we sent back to the same cages."
Animal rights groups have slammed the horrific treatment of the lions at the Black Jaguar-White Tiger Foundation.
The refuge, which ironically claims to rescue animals from harsh conditions at breeding centres and circuses, has been reported to the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA).
One animal rights group – AZCARM – accused the foundation owner of "abandoning and mistreating hundreds of big cats".
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The surviving lions will undergo a medical evaluation and are expected to be rehomed at other zoos in the Mexican capital.
The investigation continues.
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