The Egyptian Ministry of Environment's Nature Protection Department said on Thursday that the environment police has raided a large illegal wild animal farm in a desert area.

Khaled Allam, the head of the Central Department of Biodiversity, said that authorities were quick to act soon after receiving information about the farm.

According to Allam, the seized animals found in the farm were an African lion, a bengal tiger, a cheetah, a chimpanzee, a striped hyena, a spotted hyena, a Nile crocodile, as well as some pelicans and fallow dears. 

Egypt's Minister of Environment Yasmin Fouad said that the ministry is vigilant against the illegal trade in wildlife to protect Egypt's natural resources by modern and non-conventional methods.

The Egyptian Environment Law prohibits the possession of any living organisms regulated by international conventions signed by Egypt, especially predators.