Last week five lions boarded the Boeing 747400, registration PHMPS, operated by Air France KLM (but still in Martinair livery), with the aim of being taken to their new habitat in South Africa. The animals had been rescued from Romania, where they were in a deplorable condition, and treated in Holland.
Historical
In September 2021, global animal welfare organization Four Paws rescued seven lion brothers from an inadequate and unsafe private facility in Romania. They were taken to the Felida Big Cat Sanctuary in the Netherlands for treatment until they were ready to be moved to their final home, the Lionsrock Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa, on August 10th.
Five animals have been shipped while the two eldest, Simba and Elza, require special care and will be staying with Felida for a while.
Meanwhile, Four Paws continues to fight to free his parents and a oneyearold puppy named Aslan, who the owner refuses to give up. Like Simba previously, the organization says Aslan suffers from abuse and that he recently appeared in a music video in which he was allegedly abused (see below).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oGIz346NM
At the Picior de Munte site in southern Romania, Four Paws found unsafe housing conditions that endanger not only animals but also people in the event of an escape, as well as a lack of professional and veterinary care.
Although the former owner gave up seven of his lions last year, he did not want to part with three of his lions and banned NGO workers from vasectomy the adult male lion, despite a written agreement to do so. The team arranged temporary birth control for the lioness, but over time the NGO sees the risk of uncontrolled and possibly incestuous reproduction.
“The fact that these lions keep appearing in music videos is outrageous. This, uncontrolled breeding and inappropriate breeding conditions are clear indications that the owner should not be allowed to keep lions. Too bad the Romanian animal welfare laws allow this. The owner continues to refuse to give up the animals or at least allow a vasectomy on the male to stop reproduction. We will do everything in our power to prevent other animals from suffering the cruel fate of improper husbandry or commercial exploitation. We urge the former owner to respect the agreement signed with us and ask the Romanian authorities to help us give these lions a better life,” said Four Paws.
wild animals explored
According to the Four Paws notice, Romania banned the keeping of big cats and other wild animals in circuses in 2017, and private keeping is only permitted with a special permit. In the EU and beyond, thousands of lions and other wild animals are exploited and mistreated in the wildlife trade, such as for human entertainment, every year.
“Despite positive steps in and outside of Europe, including Romania, towards better wildlife protection laws, many lions and other wildlife species around the world are kept and bred in unsuitable conditions in circuses, for photographs or in private gardens. They are cruelly abused for body parts, skin and bones, as pets and for human entertainment.
LIONSROCK: A home for over 100 cats
LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary near Bethlehem, South Africa is home to over 100 big cats, most of which have been rescued by Four Paws from warravaged zoos, circuses, private homes and the hunting industry. The shelter provides a suitable home for abused big cats that cannot be released into the wild.
The habitat offers the highest standards, including large areas for family groups, encouraging natural behavior through enrichment, and the highest standards of medical care, as well as the highest standards of enclosure security.
Hunting, trading or breeding and interactions between wildlife and visitors are prohibited on LIONSROCK.
