Durban - Thirty-three lions that were rescued last year from circuses in Peru and Colombia will on Friday fly out to their new home in South Africa.
Animal Defenders International (ADI) came to the rescue of the lions after the two countries banned the use of wild animals in circuses. Twenty-four of the lions were from circuses in Peru and nine from Colombia.
Their new home will be the Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in Vaalwater, Limpopo.
ADI president Jan Creamer said 24 lions were rescued in surprise raids on circuses in Peru.
“They were living in deplorable conditions in cages on the backs of trucks,” he said.
The other nine were voluntarily surrendered by a circus in Colombia.
“Almost all of the rescued lions have been mutilated to remove their claws, one has lost an eye, another is almost blind, and many have smashed and broken teeth so would not survive in the wild,” he said.
“These lions have endured hell on earth and now they are heading home to paradise. This is the world that nature intended these animals for. It is the perfect ending to ADI’s operation, which has eliminated circus suffering in another country.”
Creamer said at their new home at Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary, the lions would enjoy large natural enclosures situated in pristine African bush with drinking pools, platforms and toys.
“Their habitats will be steadily expanded over the coming months as the lions become familiar with their new life and are introduced to each other,” he said.
Minunette Heuser, co-founder of the sanctuary, said: “The sad reality is that many rescued animals are simply replaced by the next litter of cubs, for the next money-making scheme. We love being part of this rescue that ends the abuse. Knowing that ADI has changed laws means that these lions are the last to be exploited in this way in Peru.”
ADI and GreaterGood.com ran an online campaign to raise half the airfare of the aircraft that will fly the lions. A cargo aircraft will collect the nine lions from Bogota Airport, then fly to Lima to collect the other 24 lions, before heading to Johannesburg.
The aircraft will land at OR Tambo International Airport on Saturday morning and the lion convoy will leave the airport at midday. It is expected that the lions will reach Emoya and be unloaded at 4pm.
Creamer said an ADI team would monitor the animals throughout the flight.