Controversial keeper Norman Elder, who has vehemently denied planning to sell the lion's heads, had his contract suspended on Friday by Department of the Environment bosses.

The decision was taken just 72 hours before BBC NI was scheduled to screen a TV investigation into the macabre discovery of headless lion corpses at Elder's Causeway coast site in February this year.

The DoE says it is now investigating allegations in the documentary called the Lion, the Keeper and the Dealer after officials were shown footage.

Elder, who runs the Wildlife NI rescue service, has admitted decapitating the magnificent lions after they were humanely destroyed at his former base at the old Safari Park at Benvarden.

But the man, who famously keeps a 20 stone tiger called Sonya as a pet, has denied his motive was to sell the heads, which are eagerly sought after by wealthy collectors who can pay up to £20,000 for a stuffed and mounted lion head.

On Friday, the BBC decided to re-schedule the documentary made by independent production company Tern TV.

A BBC executive said: "The documentary which was due to go out on Monday has been postponed until later as our investigations continue."

And in a statement to Sunday Life on Friday, the DoE told of its concerns over claims in the film, saying: "The Department takes the allegations made in the documentary very seriously and is investigating the claims made."

The shock discovery of the headless lion bodies was made by the USPCA during a search with diggers at Elder's Wildlife Northern Ireland sanctuary in February .

Furious USPCA boss Stephen Philpott evicted Elder from the USPCA owned Benvarden site and described the discovery of the bodies as "horribly, horribly sinister".

GRIZZLY

Sunday Life has seen footage of the postponed BBC documentary and it includes dramatic footage of Elder's eviction and Stephen Philpott's reaction to the grizzly find.

Mr Philpott said: "We are looking at the mutilation of animals who lived here for years and years and years. I am absolutely heartbroken.

"These were beautiful, beautiful creatures. How could you sit and cut their heads off?

"I spoke to the vet who saw them (after they were put down) and they were completely intact and being prepared to be taken away, he thought for incineration."

But until Friday, Elder remained contracted by the Department of the Environment to deal with emergencies involving wild animals such as big cats, snakes and crocodiles kept as pets.

His Wildlife NI service was awarded the contract following the introduction of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act in December 2006.

In the BBC film, keeper Elder tells how he firmly rejected approaches from a man to buy the lions for the lucrative taxidermy trade.

Mr Elder also explains why the five lions at Benvarden — which had been seized many years earlier by the USPCA from an Omagh man who kept them as pets — were humanely put down, even though they were not sick.

He said they were put down for the lions' sake because their long-time keeper had suffered a heart attack.

"He was the only person who could look after them. I couldn't get near them," said Mr Elder.

"I went to the (DoE's) Environmental Heritage Service and said it's not fair. No zoo is going to take them, no one is going to take them because of their age and unpredictability."

He goes on to explain how he was persistently approached by a man looking to buy the lions' bodies and how he feared this person would try to dig up the bodies.

"I had been approached by somebody looking to buy the bodies to use them for taxidermy and make a profit for them.

"I'd been approached a couple of times by the same gentleman and I said, 'No, certainly not'."

He goes on to explain that he decapitated the lions and buried the heads and bodies separately on the site to make it more difficult for the man who wanted to steal them for profit.

In the film, a senior DoE official is asked if he believes Elder's explanation for decapitating the lions and he says: "We have no reason not to. Obviously, there are serious allegations in the film. However, the African lion is an annex B species under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and it is not against the law to sell or deal in body parts or in whole animals."

SEIZED

He added: "We feel we have a contract with Wildlife NI. They tell us that if an animal was seized, they would seek an injunction to get access to the handling facilities (at Benvarden)."

But on Friday, the DoE took the decision to suspend Elder's contract, saying it was because he not did have access to a secure site to house dangerous animals.

In a statement to Sunday Life, the DoE said:

"As a result of action taken by the USPCA, Mr Elder has not had access to the Benvarden site and he has not been able to secure alternative premises to house dangerous wild animals. The Department of Environment has therefore suspended Mr Elder's contract to provide Dangerous Wild Animal services with immediate effect. The Department has also seized one tiger and two wolf dog hybrids belonging to Mr Elder under the Dangerous Wild Animals Order.

"Mr Elder can appeal the decision of the Department and during this period the animals will be re-homed on a temporary basis, until a permanent solution is agreed.

"The Department takes the allegations made in the documentary very seriously and is investigating the claims made. We have requested that Tern TV provides further details so that the allegations can be fully investigated. We have not yet received this information from Tern TV and hope that they will assist us with our investigations."

Mr Elder himself said his eviction by the USPCA had not stopped Wildlife NI operating.

Speaking before the DoE suspended his contract, he said: "We are still in action. I'm still operating as an ambulance service.

"We are working to get back onto the site. Hopefully, we will be up and running again very shortly."