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Govani the lion had a miserable existence, living in a circus where he was kept in a rusty two-by-two-metre square cage.
His claws were ripped out, his two large canine teeth had been removed and he became so distressed in the end that he bit off his own tail.
He was put through this agony for one reason – so he could perform every night for the delight of big-top audiences.
More than 1,000 animals are currently forced to perform in circuses across Europe, many in appalling conditions.
Each night, emaciated lions and tigers are locked up in filthy, cramped cages, living in horrifying squalor.