According to AP, the 3-year-old lion has been paralyzed over the past year because a degenerative disease has immobilized his legs. So the 310-pound (140 kilogram) beast he has been sleeping on a mattress in the Sao Paulo house of veterinarian Livia Pereira. She says the lion's white blood cells are attacking his healthy cells.
She has been the paying lion's monthly $11,500 medical bill through donations from some of the 34,250 people who have clicked the "like" button on Ariel's Facebook page.