Three lions from war-torn Ukraine find shelter in French wildlife park
That’s according to France 3, Ukrinform reports.
"Atlas the lion comes from the outskirts of Kyiv, where he was taken from a woman who had taken care of him since birth, but then decided that he had become too aggressive, likely because of the bombing," explained Charlotte von Croy, responsible for emergency assistance at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
"In a private house, he would run in circles with another lioness, his cage was only 12m². He was overweight and sustained several wounds," the park reported.
Atlas is two and a half years old, the two lionesses, Luladja and Queen, are nearly two years old. Both lionesses were rescued in Donetsk region. All three were picked up by the Wild Animal Rescue NGO. "But the war with Russia made their living conditions too difficult: power outages, food supply problems, not to mention frequent bombings. Therefore, their departure from the country became an urgent need," the French side explained.
A large-scale evacuation operation was organized in early 2024 with the participation of Auxois Park, the Ukrainian Wildlife Rescue Fund, and IFAW.
The animals were brought to Burgundy by minibuses from Poland. The trip lasted nearly 88 hours.
"They are incredibly relaxed after such a long journey - we've never seen anything like it!" says Geoffrey Delahaye, chief animal keeper.
Auxois Wildlife Park states that it "would like to pay tribute to the extraordinary courage of the Ukrainian staff who, risking their own lives every day, continue to care for the animals until their departure."
In Burgundy, Atlas, Queen, and Luladja will start a new life. After an adaptation period, they will join 10-year-old lion Mikrula in a 5,000 m² enclosure. Auxois Park is a large wildlife center with an area of 40 hectares, which hosts around 500 animals.
As reported, the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources is developing the concept of creating a network of wild animal rehabilitation and rescue centers in Ukraine.
