Two lions have travelled more than 1,000 kilometres to find their forever home right here in the Eastern Cape. Tsar and Jamil made the journey from the Ukraine after being exposed to suffering, mistreatment and exploitation in the Ukraine.
The pair arrived at their new home, Born Free’s Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve on Tuesday.
"Born into captivity in a Ukrainian zoo, Tsar and Jamil, were taken from their mother as tiny cubs and sold to a farm where they were exploited as a ‘tourist attraction’. Kept in utterly unsuitable conditions, fed a poor-quality diet and without specialist care, the young lions became malnourished and sickly," the sanctuary said in a media statement.
Born Free said following pressure from local animal protection organisations, the lions were handed over to a wildlife rescue centre in Kyiv.
The sanctuary said here, the full extent of their suffering became apparent.
"Veterinary examinations revealed both lions had calcium deficiencies and Tsar had bone fractures. However, with proper care and nutrition, Tsar and Jamil began to recover from their ordeal – until further hardship came their way," the sanctuary said.
Russia's invasion of the Ukraine posed a new threat to the lions and the big cats were evacuated to Belgium.
Plans to bring the lions to South Africa were set in motion and the pair began their long trek to 'freedom'.
"That epic re-homing journey began on Friday night, when the brothers were gently loaded into their custom-made travel crates. The lions first travelled by road to Luxembourg airport, before departing for Johannesburg on a specialist flight, kindly provided free of charge by Born Free’s air transport partner Cargolux. After 10 hours in the air, the lions touched down in South Africa. After being met and checked over by Born Free’s vet, Tsar and Jamil’s overland road trip to South Africa’s Eastern Cape began," the sanctuary said.
The lions covered over 1,000 kilometres on their journey from Johannesburg, every step under the watchful eye of Born Free’s expert animal care team, who stopped regularly to check on the lions and to ensure they had adequate water. When they reached their destination, Born Free’s Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari, the team were delighted to see both lions dash straight out of their crates into the natural bush of their 2.5 acre enclosure.
Tsar and Jamil will take time to adjust to the sights, sounds and smells of the bush, and the space of their expansive new home.
The Born Free team will be monitoring the lions closely, and are hopeful they will start exploring their new ‘forever home’ soon, perhaps after being fed lunch in the early afternoon. As can happen after a long transfer, both lions had small bruises and scrapes on their face, which were not of concern to the on-site vet, and should heal quickly in the African sun.
Tsar and Jamil’s re-homing is especially poignant for Born Free as it coincides with the charity’s 40th anniversary. The organisation has a long and proud history of rescuing wild creatures from abuse, exploitation, and incarceration and the lion brothers are the 58th and 59th lions to be re-homed since the charity was founded in 1984.
IOL