More than 200 big cats were stranded when the zoo closed in 2020
A group of 30 lions and tigers from a shut-down zoo in Argentina now have new homes in South Africa and the United States.
The big cats were rescued last week from the former Luján Zoo in Argentina.
Along with several other animals, they were left stranded without proper care when the zoo closed down in 2020.
Watch this video to see Zach Morin break down the rescue mission:
Living conditions at the zoo
The Luján Zoo was shut down in 2020, in part because of safety and animal welfare concerns.
Since then, the remaining animals have faced overcrowding and poor living conditions.
Former zoo employees and volunteers did their best to care for the lions and tigers but many didn’t survive.
When Luciana D’Abramo first visited the zoo in 2023, she said that she was, “literally heartbroken,” when she saw the animals.
D’Abramo, the chief program officer at Four Paws, said she had concerns about the safety of the animals and the people working with them.
“At any point, the animals could harm each other or harm a person,” she said in an interview with CBC Kids News.
On Aug. 14, the animal welfare organization sent 30 lions and tigers to animal sanctuaries in Bethlehem, South Africa, and Colorado, U.S.
Fifteen of the big cats arrived safely at the Wild Animal Sanctuary near Denver, Colorado, on Aug. 18, the sanctuary told CBC Kids News.
The other 15 animals arrived safely at Lionsrock sanctuary in South Africa the same day, Four Paws confirmed in an email.
There are still 27 lions and tigers at the Luján Zoo and Four Paws will continue to search for long-term homes for them.
But until then, D’Abramo says their conditions will improve now that staff and volunteers have more capacity to care for them.
Left, a lion locked in a cage at the former Luján Zoo on Aug. 14 in preparation for its transfer. Right, caretakers from Four Paws animal welfare organization move a sedated tiger to be transported on Aug. 14. (Image credit: Natacha Pisarenko/The Associated Press, fourpaws.international/Instagram)
A complicated mission
Moving lions and tigers across oceans isn’t an easy task.
Veterinarians, animal handlers, volunteers and several other parties all had to work together.
Danika Oriol-Morway was one of the people involved in co-ordinating the rescue.
She’s in charge of logistics at The Wild Animal Sanctuary, responsible for co-ordinating transportation, import permits, medical exams and other things that are required for relocating exotic animals.
Once the animals arrive at the sanctuary, they are monitored closely for a few days before being released into their new enclosures.
“These animals have a long road to recovery,” Oriol-Morway said in an interview with CBC Kids News.
“But they’re going to have room to run, room to play — dens to go into, hills to climb, tunnels to crawl through.”
Why the animals can’t be released into the wild
You might think that the best place to put the lions and tigers would be in the wild.
But for these animals, it isn’t so simple, according to Emily Giles from World Wildlife Fund Canada.
“They never learned important survival skills like how to hunt, find food or run away from predators,” she told CBC Kids News.
D’Abramo of Four Paws said that in a sanctuary, “we can try to provide the best keeping conditions for them to live according to what they need as animals.”
But she added that in an ideal world, animals wouldn’t need sanctuaries.
“Our dream is that sanctuaries are empty one day, and there’s no more animals that need to be rescued.”
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With files from The Associated Press
TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Natacha Pisarenko/The Associated Press
