PREVIEW

Two Traumatised Ukrainian Lions Are On Their Way To Safety In Kent. Two traumatised lions, Yuna and Rori, are travelling from warzone to their forever home at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent. The sanctuary has rescued the first two of the five similarly troubled lions from Ukraine. Male Rori and female Yuna have crossed the Ukraine and Polish border crossing and are now out of the warzone and have been travelling over 1,400 miles to safety to the UK and Belgium. The Sanctuary is working alongside Cross Border Animal Services (CBAS), who, on Wednesday, 14 August 2024, arrived at the Wild Animal Rescue Centre in Kyiv to collect Yuna and Rori. Yuna is the first of the lions being moved to The Big Cat Sanctuary with a temporary habitat ready for her arrival, creating a safe, comfortable, and enriching environment tailored to her needs. The other lion, Rori – a male who also suffered shell shock will be moving with Yuna on the same journey, although he has been dropped off en route at Natuurhulpcentrum in Belgium. The Big Cat Sanctuary team have now dropped off Rori and he is settling in for his temporary stay at Natuurhulpcentrum in Belgium until a new rescue facility for him is built at the Sanctuary. Since launching the campaign, the charity has raised over £300,000 in donations from the public, which will go towards transport, veterinary care, and the Lion Rescue Centre.