The man who sells you LION for dinner: Exotic meat vendor offers everything from ‘A to Zebra’
An exotic meat producer that prides itself on selling everything from “A to Zebra” is offering lion meat for $50,000 a pound — a decade after restaurants came under fire for serving the vulnerable species.
Anshu Pathak, who runs the Exotic Meat Market in Perris, California, sells an array of stomach-churning items, including bear tenderloins for $1,000, boneless turtle meat for $1,250 per 25 pounds, and $99 for a python gallbladder.
And the 66-year-old — who was raised vegetarian but now claims to have tasted every kind of meat he sells — continues to list lion on his site, with 1 pound setting customers back $49,999.
He insists that US customers love his lion meat, though Pathak refuses to name his customers for their safety.
“Lion meat is like Donald Trump – it will always be popular,” he told Dailymail.com.
Anshu Pathak runs the Exotic Meat Market in Perris, California, which claims to sell everything from ‘A to Zebra’
Lion meat is still listed on Exotic Meat Market’s website, though a pound of it currently costs $49,999
“All the meat I offer is popular because immigrants come to the US from all over the world, and the US has all the meat available, as most exotic animals are raised by ranchers and hunting stores.”
It comes more than 10 years after a small restaurant in Arizona found itself at the center of a global backlash after it offered lion burgers as part of its 2010 World Cup promotion.
Other restaurants have faced similar outrage by advertising lion meat tacos.
Amazingly, lion meat is still legal to sell in the US.
The US Food and Drug Association states that all game meat – including lion – can be legally sold as long as it is not classified as an “endangered” species.
The creatures are currently listed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the African Wildlife Foundation.
But authorities are keeping a close eye on the trade — especially after the global interest in Tiger King star Joe Exotic, shedding light on the dark underbelly of big cat keeping.
Pathak’s Exotic Meat Market in Perris, California, sells an array of heartbreaking items, including bear tenderloin for $1,000, boneless turtle meat for $1,250, and python gallbladder for $99
Pathak’s 13-hectare farm is home to allegator, rattlesnake, squirrel and water buffalo among dozens of other species
Pathak was raised vegetarian but fell in love with meat after tasting lamb at his aunt’s in UK
In 2001, Pathak was subject to an FBI investigation over concerns that he was replacing his lion meat with tiger.
Tigers are listed as endangered – meaning they are not legal for consumption.
But Pathak fiercely defended himself, claiming, “I will eat and sell whatever is legal under the laws of the United States.”
But while he raises most of his animals himself, he sources lion meat from elsewhere and has always been vague about its origins.
He told Dailymail.com that it comes from farms in the US.
“I can’t talk about my customers and suppliers because of their safety and reputation,” he said.
Pathak is not the only lion meat seller in the US.
Richard Czimer, owner of Czimer’s Game and Seafood, also continues to offer lion meat in his stores.
Czimer was imprisoned in 2003 for selling endangered tiger and leopard meat in his shops.
Born in India and raised as a Hindu Brahmin, Pathak says he started eating meat when he was about seven years old after tasting lamb made in the UK by his aunt.
From there he’s tried all kinds of meats – although he draws the line at dogs.
He said, ‘I like dogs. Dogs are domesticated pets and there is a difference between eating them and wild animals. My dogs are my family.’
The Exotic Meat Market was founded in 1989 and Pathak also owns Gourmet Meat and Seafood of San Bernardino Inc, which ships the products all over the world.
He regularly uploads videos of himself enjoying his own products, including one showing off crocodile blood — something he said was a “perfect breakfast for a diabetic.”
Though not all the family approves as his daughter Madhvi remains a vegetarian.
Pathak regularly shares pictures of the meat after it is cooked. Pictured here is a pair of Yak civilians
The 66-year-old sells a range of exotic meats, including ostriches, which he raises on his California farm
Workers are pictured preparing the exotic meat in a shot uploaded to their Facebook page
He has said before that sometimes she stands at the gates of his market and “tells people not to work for me.”
His daughter is not Pathak’s only critic. For years he has been the target of animal rights activists who do not approve of his work.
In 2020, thieves snuck into Pathak’s riverside farm and stole 30 llamas, 160 ostriches and a number of emus, lambs, goats, alpacas and geese.
The next day, an emu was found near Highway 74.
But Pathak insists that his business is completely moral.
‘No meat should be wasted when animals give their lives for our food. I’m very ethical,’ he said.
‘I don’t harvest old, sick and female animals. My message is very simple: I sponsor exotic meat.
“But I’m not in the business of supporting the killing of endangered species.”
He added, “I follow God and Mother Nature. That is it.’