Marjan

Marjan was the most famous resident of the Kabul Zoo in Afghanistan. In the late 1960s, the Kabul Zoo was extremely popular and held more than 500 animals, but it suffered from the violence of Afghanistan. In 1978, Marjan the lion was given to the Kabul Zoo by a group from Cologne, Germany. For 23 years, Marjan lived at the zoo and experienced intense conflict. He survived the arrival of the communist People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan, the Great Saur Revolution, and the USSR invasion.

After the Russians left Afghanistan in 1989, a civil war ensued. The fighting left the area in total chaos and the zoo was shelled on many occasions. In 1996, a man snuck into the zoo and entered Marjan’s cage. After he tried to touch the lion, Marjan killed him. In retaliation, one of the man’s friends entered the zoo and threw three hand grenades into the lion’s cage. The explosion rendered Marjan blind, deaf, and permanently disabled. The man who threw the grenade was violently attacked and murdered a few weeks after the incident.

Once western forces moved into Afghanistan, the bad conditions of the Kabul Zoo were revealed to the world. Marjan, the blind lion, became an instant celebrity. Animal rights organizations traveled to Afghanistan to help the lion and other animals in the Kabul Zoo. Despite the overwhelming response, Marjan died in January 2002. He was given a public ceremony and buried on the zoo grounds. On his grave is posted: “Here lies Marjan, who was about 23. He was the most famous lion in the world.” In March 2002, China donated a pair of lions to the Kabul Zoo to replace Marjan.

In honor of Marjan, help get this coin to the Kabul Zoo.

Adventures of Moonjami #41 of 150 - black