FOR USE WITH STORY BC-BRAZIL-LIONS

RJO01:FEATURE:RIO DE JANEIRO,3SEP96 - FOR RELEASE WITH STORY BC-BRAZIL-LION - Marcelo Costa, 23, gets a hug and a kiss from Luma, his pet lioness, which is kept in his family's backyard in Rio de Janeiro. Luma is eight-years-old and was accquired by Marcelo's family for 100 grams of gold when she was 24-days-old. The family, which also have 40 stray cats and 12 mongrel dogs, feed Luma three to eight kilos of food a day. No laws prohibit the Costa's from holding Luma, who stays in a cage in their backyard. Picture taken 8AUG96. gn/Photo by Gregg Newton REUTERS