Heart-breaking pictures show the plight of a blind lioness - left in squalor in a tiny cage after being written off as ''breeding mistake.''

Five-year-old Lyka was born in 2013 with eyesight problems and kept at the Maasin Zoo in Iloilo, southern Philippines. Her sight continued to deteriorate and she is now completely blind with a disturbing blue and grey hue to her eyes.

Tragically, Lyka is left every day to lie on the filthy ground in the 3-feet-wide rusty enclosure while a handful of visitors walk past every day. A holidaymaker who went to the zoo said she was heartbroken when she saw the plight of Lyka and is urging animal welfare groups to step in.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ''It was heartbreaking. I wanted to cry. Seeing such beautiful animals locked up and clearly suffering was so disheartening.

''The lioness cub's name is Lyka. Her eyesight has gone and now she's completely blind. I felt so sorry for her. She's just five.

''I asked the staff about this and they just said that she was a breeding mistake. She looks so neglected and depressed. Lyka's locked up in such a small cage, there's no room for her to do the things she should be doing. It was obvious me to me that the cage was not clean enough. We called out to her and she moved her paw a little bit but apart from that she was still. She looked weak.''

A spokesman for Maasin Zoo said Lyka was ''healthy'' and given adequate food and water. They added: ''If there are any problems with the animals they are treated by a vet.''

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++++STILLS AVAILABLE*** Heart-breaking pictures show the plight of a blind lioness - left in squalor in a tiny cage after being written off as ''breeding mistake''.

Five-year-old Lyka was born in 2013 with eyesight problems and kept at the Maasin Zoo in Iloilo, southern Philippines. Her sight continued to deteriorate and she is now completely blind with a disturbing blue and grey hue to her eyes.

Tragically, Lyka is left every day to lie on the filthy ground in the 3ft wide rusty enclosure while a handful of visitors walk past every day. A holidaymaker who went to the zoo said she was heartbroken when she saw the plight of Lyka and is urging animal welfare groups to step in.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ''It was heartbreaking. I wanted to cry. Seeing such beautiful animals locked up and clearly suffering was so disheartening.

''The lioness cub's name is Lyka. Her eyesight has gone and now she's completely blind. I felt so sorry for her. She's just five.

''I asked the staff about this and they just said that she was a breeding mistake. She looks so neglected and depressed. Lyka's locked up in such a small cage, there's no room for her to do the things she should be doing. It was obvious me to me that the cage was not clean enough. We called out to her and she moved her paw a little bit but apart from that she was still. She looked weak.''

A spokesman for Maasin Zoo said Lyka was ''healthy'' and given adequate food and water. They added: ''If there are any problems with the animals they are treated by a vet.''