Large wild cats shouldn’t be kept in zoos, especially in cramped cages with chilly concrete floors.
This explains why it is so touching to watch these lions given a second chance at life.
A Romanian zoo that had shut down in October 2015 had five lions spared. They were relocated solely to entertain tourists after being born in Italy in 2003.
Thanks to Four Paws International, an animal welfare organization that specializes in saving abused animals, these amazing large cats were granted the freedom they so richly deserve.
In terrible condition
“A zoo was closed and the five lions had nowhere to go,” said Iona Dugler, Director of Wild Animals at Four Paws.
Fortunately, the team saw the situation and stepped in to save the animals, removing them from the cramped cages where they had been housed for too long.
The years the lions lived in these conditions had a negative impact on their health.
“The vet who treated them didn’t want to give up and didn’t accept the possibility that these animals will be put to sleep,” Iona Dugler said.
Four Paws had to travel over 15,000 miles (12,337 kilometers) to deliver the lions to their new home at Lionsrock Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa. Here, in the thousands of acres of luscious grass, they are finally free to wander.
The lions joined eighty other huge cats that were rescued from poor settings all throughout the world.
In addition to having plenty of space to roam, the lions receive regular medical care and nutritious food, all of which contribute to their long, healthy lives.
Watch the video below to see the teamwork needed to relocate the lions to their new home. Take in the fresh African air, feel the grass beneath their paws, and watch the lions as they relish their first day in the warm South African sun!
After being housed in filthy, small cages behind iron bars for decades, the lions were finally permitted to dwell in their natural habitat.
