MESA, Ariz., June 23 (UPI) -- The owner of an Arizona restaurant is defending his decision to serve burgers made with African lion meat in honor of the World Cup.

Cameron Selogie of Il Vinaio in Mesa says the five pounds of lion meat he's using to make the burgers come from a farm and in no way affect the scarcity of lions in Africa, the Arizona Republic reports.

The novelty meat, being served Wednesday and Thursday nights only, has drawn e-mail protests from more than 150 people along with one bomb threat, Selogie says.

The lion meat was ordered from a USDA regulated free-range farm in Illinois that Selogie says he checked out to make sure conditions were humane.

The lion burgers, meant to be a short term novelty item on the menu, have proven to be so popular with Phoenix-area diners that Selogie has made plans with his brothers, who own a large ranch South of Tucson near the Mexican border about raising his own lions. He said experts from the free-range farm in Illinois were willing to provide advice and assistance in setting up the operation.

Neighboring ranchers on the border and Border Patrol agents are looking forward to the arrival of the lions. As the term "Free Range" implies, the lions will be able to roam at will over thousands of acres along the border. They will be fitted with GPS transmitter collars so the Border Patrol can keep track of them and so the ranchers can avoid contact between the lions and their livestock.

The lion herd's diet is expected to consist of a few wild animals now and then, but primarily of mexican food.