Lion Rescue Center opens in Great Britain to house animals evacuated from Ukraine due to hostilities

A Lion Rescue Center has opened in Kent, UK, to house animals evacuated from Ukraine amid ongoing hostilities.

The Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK, Valerii Zaluzhny, reported this on Telegram.

A lion rescue center for five rescued animals from Ukraine has been opened in the UK. It was created thanks to charitable contributions.

Valerii Zaluzhny, Former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's armed forces and current Ambassador to the UK, attended the opening of the Lion Rescue Center with his wife, Olena. The center houses animals evacuated from Ukraine.

^{Photo: Telegram / Valerii Zaluzhny}

"Britain has taken in hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing Russian bombs and missiles.

Our people here have been given their homes, their children have been given the opportunity to study, and they have been sheltered and supported. But that's not all that happened," Zaluzhny noted.

According to him, the Lion Rescue Center in Kent was recently opened and now houses animals evacuated from Ukraine.

"Five Ukrainian lions, who are living witnesses of the war. Many animals in Ukraine were left hungry and cold, without supervision, due to hostilities.

Volunteers, veterinarians, and the entire team of The Big Cat Sanctuary did noble work, creating a new home for Ukrainian animals. Now they are safe," Zaluzhny noted.

^{Photo: Telegram / Valerii Zaluzhny}

The Zaluzhny family viewed the rescued animals together and thanked Britain for assisting and providing shelter to Ukrainian refugees.

The animals are already showing interest in their new habitat, with the center now home to five African lions: Yuna, Rory, Wanda, Amani, and Lira.

They were rescued from war zones and inadequate conditions of detention, the organization's website says.

^{A lioness who was evacuated from Ukraine. Photo: Telegram / Valerii Zaluzhny}

The Wildlife Rescue Center evacuated the animals from dangerous places, and the Big Cat Sanctuary, in collaboration with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), took them to the UK.

500 thousand pounds sterling were raised for the construction of the Lion Rescue Center. The environment was specially equipped to meet the needs of the animals.

"All five rescued lions have settled in perfectly, showing curiosity and playfulness when interacting with their habitats," wrote Big Cat Sanctuary on Facebook.

Photo: Telegram / Valerii Zaluzhny

Rescued lion Rory. Photo: Telegram / Valerii Zaluzhny

Rory is a three-year-old lion. He was found in a private zoo in Ukraine. He had coordination problems. He had post-traumatic stress disorder from the shelling that was nearby, which made him unable to stand, the organization's website says.

^{Rescued lioness Yuna. Photo: screenshot from the Big Cat Sanctuary website}

Yuna is also 3 years old. She was found with a young lion cub in a 3-by-4-meter concrete enclosure. It is believed that the animals were being kept for illegal breeding. After Yuna was evacuated to the Wildlife Rescue Center in February 2023, a veterinarian found wounds on her that could have been caused by prolonged exposure to the cold concrete floor. In January 2024, during a rocket attack, debris fell 300 meters from where she lived. This led to a concussion and loss of coordination.

Amani and Lira are sisters. It is believed that they were used for photography. Neither lioness requires any veterinary treatment.

^{One of the lionesses rescued in Ukraine. Photo: Telegram / Valerii Zaluzhny}Wanda likely spent six months in an apartment without access to the outdoors or sunlight and was raised on an inappropriate diet. She was found with parasites and signs of rickets, but is currently recovering.

For reference:

On March 3, a Russian drone attack on Feldman Ecopark in the Kharkiv region led to animals being killed and injured. Following a renewed offensive by Russian troops in northern Kharkiv in 2024, the ecopark has faced increasing attacks.

It was also reported that after a hostile drone attack on the night of March 23, a blind roe deer living in an animal shelter near Kyiv died.

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