You may have read elsewhere of the lions rescued from a Ukraine zoo unable to care for them in wartime. The cubs, Taras, Stefania, Lesya and Prada survived being born into the exotic pet trade. They were first taken to the zoo by animal rescue groups in Kyiv and Odessa after authorities began cracking down on illegal breeding facilities. There they were treated by veterinarians and kept safe until permanent arrangements could be made. The cubs were transported to Posnan, Poland to escape the sporadic bombing attacks on Kyiv. An estimated 200 lions reside in private hands in Ukraine, and their outlook is grim. Zoos and rescue centers across Europe have accepted many lions from Ukraine already and reported their facilities were at capacity. A leopard cub rescued with one of the lions in Kyiv, named Kiara, was sent to a
rescue center in France.
(two of the cubs resting in their new home, credit: IFAW)Thanks to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the cubs next journey was to the United States and the Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, MN. The small cubs, between 4 and 5 months old endured hours in specifically designed crates during their transit from Ukraine. They were accompanied by a veterinarian, Dr. Andrew Kushnir. Upon arrival at the sanctuary they were examined, fed, and given a warm place to rest from their 9 hour flight and 8 hour land journey to Minnesota. “These cubs have endured more in their short lives than any animal should,” an official of IFAW told media. They will enjoy the relative freedom of their sanctuary habitat without human visitors and live as a pride for the rest of their lives. Because they have been hand-reared since birth, they cannot be released into the wild. Help IFAW help animals all over the world by donating here.
