33 Lions Rescued From South American Circuses

Last month, 33 lions that were rescued from circuses in Columbia and Peru were flown back to South Africa to live out the rest of their lives in a private sanctuary. This was the largest ever airlift of lions and the entire operation was funded by Animal Defenders International. The group which is headquartered in Los Angeles has been working with lawmakers in the two South American countries for years to ban the use of wildlife circuses where the animals are usually kept in terrible conditions.

Great suffering

The lions experienced great suffering in captivity, one animal had lost an eye, many were found with broken or rotting teeth whilst some were declawed. The first group of nine lions were collected using a McDonnell Douglas cargo plane in Bogota, Columbia, another 24 were picked up from Lima Peru and then the entire group headed to Johannesburg. From Johannesburg the lions were then transported by land to Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary which has large natural enclosures and will serve as their home.

Quarantine first

Upon their arrivals the lions were placed in quarantine at the 12,355-acre sanctuary which was established just 3 years ago. The 33 lions were monitored by vets during their first weeks in Africa and were then slowly introduced to one another in a 1-hectare bonding enclosure. Most of the lions had never experienced direct physical contact with other lions and had only ever been with other lions separated by a fence or cage.

Cannot hunt

The lion’s poor physical state means the lions simply do not have the ability to hunt again and will have to be cared for with the sanctuary providing food and water for the rest of their lives. The Emoya sanctuary purchases game meat in bulk to feed its residents. All the enclosures will be fitted with drinking pools and toys so that the lions can avoid boredom. Their enclosures will be expanded steadily the more familiar they grow with the territory.

“It will be hugely satisfying to see these lions walking into the African bush, it might be one of the finest rescues I’ve ever seen; it’s never happened before taking lions from circuses in South America all the way to Africa, It’s like a fairytale.” said Tom Phillips, ADI’s vice-president,