Thirty-three former circus lions feel the African lion on their backs, the grass under their feet, after a lifetime of misery and abuse in the travelling circuses of Peru and Colombia.
The Lions made an incredible journey to their hometown after the rescue efforts of Animal Defenders International (ADI).
Animal Defenders International co-founder Tim Phillips says rescuers have faced incredible challenges in rescuing lions from illegal circuses in Peru and Colombia.
Circus animals are banned in the country, but many travelling circuses operate in remote areas and are moved underground when the law takes effect.
ADI teams worked with government agencies to find and confiscate the animals, writes natureknows.org.
They were repeatedly accompanied by SWAT teams OMON to ensure the rescue of the animals. They then had to evacuate the lions from the far Andes and return to their rescue centres.
It was an effort that took 18 months to complete. Of the 100 animals rescued, 33 were lions. These magnificent big cats have suffered all their lives, confined to small cages, mistreated and mutilated.
Arrangements have been made to fly with them to their country of origin, Africa. Unfortunately, lions will never be able to survive on their own because of their physical condition.
Many have had their claws removed and their teeth were broken. “They can not go back to the wild, but they can go home,” Tim said in an interview.
The Lions will spend the rest of their days in peace and freedom at the Emoya Big Cat Shelter in Valwater, South Africa.
“African sun, African night sky, African bushes, voices, clouds, summer thunderstorms, large enclosures in the wild where they can remember who they are,” said Savannah Hoyzer, founder of Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary.
The team said bringing back the beaten, old lions to Africa was one of their proudest moments. Wait until you hear the lions roar at him in the 2:56 video below. They seem to know that they have returned home.
