Group Of Lions Finally Experience Freedom In Africa After Spending Their Whole Lives In Traveling Circuses
Thirty-three lions that spent their lives in traveling circuses are finally getting a chance to live like lions again. After years of being hauled around in Colombia and Peru, they have been moved to a sanctuary in South Africa where open space, fresh air, and natural surroundings are part of daily life.
The rescue took months of planning and involved nearly 100 animals in total, but the lions were the biggest part of the story. Their new home at Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary gives them a very different life from the one they knew in captivity, and the change is hard to ignore.
Here is how the rescue unfolded, and why these lions are now drawing so much attention.
Thirty-three circus lions have been saved from further injustice and are now enjoying the African sun on their backs and grass under their feet after enduring a lifetime of abuse in the traveling circuses in Colombia and Peru.
They made a safe journey back to Africa after being rescued by Animal Defenders International (ADI).
Tim Phillips, the co-founder of Animal Defenders International, stated that they faced many challenges in locating and rescuing these lions from illegal traveling circuses operating in Peru and Colombia.
Circus animals are actually banned in several countries, but there are still traveling circuses that operate in more remote areas and have moved their business underground ever since the laws were signed.
The teams at ADI have worked with government authorities to locate and save the animals, according to natureknows.org. There have been times when they were accompanied by SWAT teams and riot police to ensure that the animals would be rescued without fail.
The big cats from the circuses are then transferred to Andres in remote areas before being brought to their respective rescue centers.
The thirty-three lions were just a portion of the almost 100 animals that were saved. It wasn't easy at all, though, because saving them took 18 months of proper planning and strategizing.
They are then set to fly to Africa, their land of origin. However, the bad news is that most of these lions won't even be able to survive on their own because of their physical conditions—smashed teeth and missing claws included.
“They can’t go back to the wild, but they can go back home,” Tim said in an interview.
The lions would now be living at Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in Vaalwater, South Africa.
“African sun, African night skies, African bush and sounds, clouds, summer thunderstorms, large enclosures in a natural setting where they can remember who they are,” said Savannah Heuser, founder of Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary.
Take a look at the lions below!
Speaking of first-time freedom, remember the lion who touched grass for the first time in 13 years after life in a tiny circus cage,
this one.Here's another video of them:
Tim said saving the old lions and bringing them back to Africa is one of his proudest moments, and he should be! It's a good thing that people like him are in organizations that are dedicated to saving these animals, even if they are generally perceived as dangerous!
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