Two young lions who had been stolen from their mother and illegally smuggled into Israel as cubs have been returned to South Africa where they can now live happily in a wildlife sanctuary.
Ori and Ben Tzur had been rescued by Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority (NPA) and were put in a zoo as it was the only place of safety.
Ori had originally been found in a basement and Ben Tzur had been found tied to a tree in a yard in the West Bank.
The zoo was only supposed to be a temporary home, and it was decided that they should be brought back to their natural habitat, so NPA turned to British animal charity Animal Defenders International (ADI)
Last Sunday, the journey to their new home in South Africa began, and the young lions were given a soothing spray to keep them calm, water, and plenty of snacks to stay busy on the flight.
They arrived in Johannesburg on Tuesday, after a long journey with stop-offs in Cairo and Frankfurt.
Jan, an assistant at ADI, said: “It is the most fantastic [feeling]. It is absolutely wonderful. All the months of work and preparation; permits [and] complications that [come] with moving these animals... this is the big day.
“They are in Africa. They are going to spend the rest of their lives in the sanctuary under African skies.
“These lions have never run free. They have never run across grass. They have been kept in concrete compounds.
“Now they get to spend the rest of their lives in freedom.”
Ori and Ben Tzur spent their first day of freedom exploring and mapping their territory, and ADI said they already have learnt where everything is and met their new neighbours – the sanctuary’s other pride. Both are healthy and eating well, according to staff.
“This is the most space they have ever had,” ADI wrote on its website.
However, being used to the heat of Israel, Ori and Ben Tzur opted to spend the night not out in the field, but in their heated house inside the sanctuary.
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