Two lion brothers from Ukraine, Tsar and Jamil, have been relocated to Born Free’s Big Cat Sanctuary in Shamwari Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
The lions were born in captivity in a zoo in Ukraine. They were removed from their mother as cubs and sold to a farm where they were used as a “tourist attraction.” They were malnourished and kept in awful conditions.
Following pressure from local animal protection organisations, they were transferred to a wildlife rescue centre in Kyiv. The lions were rescued when the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in early 2022. The Ukrainian rescue centre worked with a “Polish zoo and Natuurhulpcentrum (NHC) to evacuate the cats, via a brief stay in Poland, to the safety of NHC’s wildlife rescue centre in Belgium.”
Frederik Thoelen, Biologist at Natuurhulpcentrum in Belgium said, “We are very happy that, together with the various partners, we have been able to make such a big difference to the lives of our lion brothers Tsar and Jamil. We welcomed them exactly 2 years ago when the war in Ukraine had just started, now we can finally take them to their forever home in South Africa. Our part in this incredible journey is done and we are sure that the lion brothers will now have a very good life under the African sun.”
Plans were put together to move the two big cats to South Africa. They were transported by road to the airport in Luxembourg and then flown in special crates to Johannesburg, which took 10 hours.
The lions were flown by Cargolux Airlines. CEO of Cargolux Richard Forson said “Two lions lived in captivity all their lives and were relocated from Ukraine to Wildlife rescue centre in Belgium in 2022 and now will fly abroad from Luxembourg to Johannesburg. From there they will have a road trip to the Born Free Big Cat Sanctuary. In the protected area the lions will find a settled and life-long home and natural habitat in South Africa.”
They were then driven from Johannesburg to the Eastern Cape to the Born Free Big Cat Sanctuary in Shamwari Private Game Reserve, where 50 other big cats live.
The lions will be under the care of vets and other specialists and will take some time to adjust to their new home. As of 12 March 2024, the three-year-old lion brothers have found a safe haven in South Africa after having travelled roughly 13,000km.
