ARIZONA – Mexican restaurants are now serving up lion tacos to their customers – and it’s causing an uproar!
Mexican restaurants started Exotic Taco Wednesdays all across Arizona. They served up python, alligator, elk, kangaroo, rattlesnake and reindeer.
Frog legs, turtle, duck and Rocky Mountain oysters have also made appearances.
“We’ve done just about anything we can get our hands on,” said owner of Boca Tacos y Tequila, Bryan Mazon. “Every Wednesday we do something a little bit different.”
Boca Tacos announced on its Facebook page that the taco shop was accepting prepaid orders for African lion, to be served on Feb. 16. Orders must be placed by 3 p.m. Feb. 7.
“I’ve gotten a lot of questions, like if it’s legal,” said Mazon, adding that a few lion tacos have been reserved so far. “We’re still a month out.”
According to the Food and Drug Administration, lion and other game meat can be sold as long as the species isn’t endangered.
Bingo! The pre-orders for Lion Tacos has been through the roof! Mexican restaurants across the state don’t want to lose their business to Boca – so they are getting in on the big cat action. ALL Mexican restaurants across Arizona will be serving up Lion Tacos on Feb. 16th.
“I’m doing the African lion to get my name out,” said Mazon, who used to be a salesman for City Meat and Provisions. “I’ve never tried it myself, but this one really caught my eye.”
Most of Boca’s exotic tacos range between $3 and $4. The lion tacos cost $8.75 apiece. But Del Taco and Chipotle will be offering up “prime lion tacos” for $6-$7. McDonald’s is even trying to get in on the action. “We’re going to offer a Lion Taco Happy Meal. Kids will get to eat two lion tacos and get a free copy of the Lion King with their meal. It’s a great promotion for us,” said Wendy Carilton of McDonalds.
Lion Meat costs about $100 a pound of ground lion meat – $400 for a pound of tenderloin lion meat. So there’s a lot of profit to be made from lion meat.
The State of Arizona is taking their share of lion meat. They are taxing the Lion Tacos and have provided the Mexican restaurants with some lion hunters from the University of Arizona to help shoot and kill the African lions. “We want to make sure that the we kill the best lions in Africa and get them back here safely and quickly so our citizens can eat top grade lion tacos, ” said Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.
Go to Arizona on Feb. 16th and get some… Lion Tacos!!
Absolutely appalling! For one thing, there are very good reasons that we humans do not eat the meat of meat-eating animals, only that of herbovores – cattle and sheep, for instance. This retriction, which has been in place for millenia, refers to the transmission of diseases common only to meat-eating animals, of which man is one. The animals we eat – sheep, rabbits, cattle, are herbivorae. Also, I imagine this is only being done as a prank, or a stunt of some kind, and as such it is, I think, a tad grotesque. S. McGuire
This article doesn't mention it, but the lions killed in the canned hunts that supply lion meat to vendors like this are usually retired circus/zoo/performing lions who trust people and are tame or semi-tame after a lifetime of interacting/working with people. I wish that everyone would boycott the restaurants serving lion meat, and that not a single person would show up for "lion taco" day.
Actually these circuses and zoos return the lions (sometimes) abused and the breeders euthanize them and sell the skins. Meat is a by-product. Boycot the Breeders, Zoos, and Circuses. If you boycot the restaurants you accomplish nothing. Please do some research.
wow this site is bull
Lion meat sounds disgusting.
Absolutely disgusting! Lions are endangered in Africa reduced to living within the boundaries of national parks and reserves. The idea of canned hunts or killing circus lions is equally appalling. I am wondering what kind of people are keen to eat Lion meat anyway?
Unbelievably appalling and stupid, if you live in Arizona phone the restaurant and object. McDonalds?!? C'mon really ? Dont they have a public relations department or a brain?
Thanks for the tips. Big help.