Vasylyna, a lioness who was helped in Ukraine by UAnimals and the Wildlife Rescue Center, arrived with her mate Nikola from the Netherlands to South Africa. Soon they will settle in the LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary.
Caretaker Kim flew in the cargo compartment of the plane with the lions. He says that during the flight, the animals were completely calm. Now the couple awaits a spacious enclosure, many neighbors, and the hot African sun.
In August 2022, Vasylyna the lioness was caught by police in Kharkiv region. There, the owners kept her in domestic conditions, but Vasylyna escaped and went for a walk in the outskirts.
UAnimals and the Wildlife Rescue Center took the lioness for rehabilitation. For 9 months, she was cared for at the Wildlife Rescue Center in Kyiv region. From there, Vasylyna went to the FELIDA rehabilitation center in the Netherlands, where she met a lion named Nikola.
Before arriving at the FELIDA rehabilitation center, Nikola lived in an illegal breeding facility in Montenegro. In 2022, he also escaped from the owners and wandered the streets near Budva, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, for 10 days.
The lion and lioness took a liking to each other. Now they will continue their life together in the south.
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Images: FELIDA rehabilitation center, UAnimals’ archive
