The continued prestige of Assyria was acknowledged by the gift of exotic animals by the Egyptians which nišē mātīšu ušebri, he displayed (the animals) to the people of his land. These he added to his collection of rare animals which he bred and dispatched merchants to acquire more, such as a large female ape and a crocodile (and) a ‘river man', beasts of the Great Sea and the dromedaries he displayed in herds. Aššūr-bēl-kala's interests were not solely zoological as he enjoyed hunting and boasts killing wild bulls and cows at the city of Araziqu which is before the land of Ḫatti and at the foot of Mount Lebanon.