Animal News:

Five Lions Rescued from War Zone in Ukraine

Written by Edda Bevilacqua

Five lions, one male and four female, were rescued from the war zone in Ukraine and found a new home in England. They were found near the front lines in Ukraine’s war against Russia, neglected and abandoned by their owners. Cameron Whitnall, managing director of the Big Cat Sanctuary near Ashford, England, said: “All of these five lions were originally from the illegal pet trade and wildlife trade. None of them came from zoos.”

Male lion Rori, and lionesses Amani, Lira and Vanda, arrived at the Big Cat Sanctuary following a twelve-hour journey from zoos and animal shelters in Belgium. They join lioness Yuna, who was rescued last August. The lions were saved by a Ukrainian woman, Natalia Popova, who runs the Wild Animal Rescue Center. She has saved hundreds of abandoned animals since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.