Hundreds of police hunt Afghan war veteran and his pet PUMA after ‘he pulled knife on zoo keepers’ and fled to the forest to avoid handing over the big cat in Poland
- Kamil Stanek was ordered to hand the puma over to Poznan Zoo in January
- On Friday, officials made a 200 mile journey to try and retrieve the animal
- But the Afghan war veteran allegedly pulled a knife on them and fled into woods
- He posted an update on Facebook yesterday as police continue their manhunt
Around 200 Polish police are hunting for an Afghan war veteran and his pet puma after he fled into the forest to avoid handing over the big cat.
Kamil Stanek is alleged to have threatened Poznan city zoo keepers with a knife when they turned up at his house in the southern town of Myslowice on Friday.
Poznan Zoo, which is around 200 miles away from the forest where Stanek has fled to, allege that the war veteran has been taking the puma around the country and charging £600 for people who want to pet her.
‘It’s not a cuddly toy. It’s one of the most dangerous animals in the world and it could be a real threat to people’s lives,’ said Ewa Zgrabczynska, head of Poznan Zoo.
About 200 officers have been involved in trying to track down Afghan war veteran Kamil Stanek and Nubia the puma for three days
Poznan zoo, which is around 200 miles away from the forest where Stanek has fled to outside Myslowice, allege that the war veteran has been taking the puma around the country and charging £600 for people who want to pet her
The zoo alleges that when they went to Stanek’s house they discovered the puma was living in a cramped, filthy cage.
Yesterday Stanek posted a video (pictured) on Facebook to update fans that he and Nubia were safe
It is claimed that Stanek – who was ordered to hand over the Puma to Poznan Zoo in January – has effectively been on the run with Nubia since then.
Stanek bought Nubia six years ago in the Czech Republic but keeping pumas is against the law in Poland.
Stanek, who purportedly runs an animal sanctuary with his wife and has tens of thousands of social media followers on his Projekt Puma Facebook page, posted an update for his fans yesterday.
In the post Stanek filmed himself stroking the big cat and wrote as the caption: ‘Thank you for your messages and support. Let the media see what an army we have.’
Among his supporters, is the mayor of Myslowice, who suggested that Stanek should not have been forced into hiding.
‘Love for the animal and a heartless court decision forced him to flee. He is hiding in the forest,’ Mayor Dariusz Wojtowicz said on Facebook.
‘Maybe someone could take a more humane look at this case.’
Stanek purportedly runs an animal sanctuary with his wife and has tens of thousands of social media followers on his Projekt Puma Facebook page which he regularly posts videos and pictures on
Nubia the puma with one of Stanek’s dogs on the sofa at his home. Poznan zoo, which is around 200 miles away from the forest where Stanek has fled to, allege that the war veteran has been taking the animal around the country and charging £600 for people who want to pet the puma.
One of Stanek’s legal pet cats with his illegal pet cat, the puma Nubia
According to the Coalition for Circuses Without Animals, a Polish animal rights group, Stanek has been moving the puma in a small trailer and keeping it outside his property in a cage.
They further allege that photos online showing Nubia living in a large enclosure are from Stanek’s family home and date back to 2016, before his legal troubles began.
Police today declined to give details on the hunt, with spokesman Tomasz Grabos telling AFP only: ‘We are continuing our operations.’
Poznan Zoo say that they have an enclosure prepared for the animal and expert veterinary care.