Sharon Seltzer on Care2.com
February 2010
So is this a case of an overwhelmed zoo that is grateful its lions were saved or a facility that wanted to free up funds by passing off the burden of their big cats to another group?
A pride of 13 neglected lions from a zoo in Romania touched down at Robin
Hood Airport in South Yorkshire, England in what is being called – The
Biggest-Ever Cat Rescue. The lions that range in age from 15 months to 27
years old will now make their way to their new home at the Yorkshire
Wildlife Park.
The details of this story are little perplexing and left me wondering
whether the Yorkshire Wildlife Park and the public weren’t slightly deceived
about the underlying reasons the zoo wanted the lions removed from their
facility.
Is this a case of a zoo that was genuinely overwhelmed by the cost of taking
care of 18 big cats and needed help or is it a situation of “passing the
buck” and responsibilities to another organization to free up cash?
Pride of Yorkshire
The story about the lions, that have been named the Pride of Yorkshire,
began last summer when an animal charity in Romania asked the Wildlife Park
in the UK to help. They told the Wildlife Park that the state-run Oradea
Zoo, where the lions were living, had run out of money to care for the
animals and was being condemned.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park was told the zoo could no longer afford to feed the
lions who were living in small rusty metal cages that measured 15ft. by
12ft. The lions lived four to a cage on filthy concrete floors. They were
emaciated, covered in sores, weak and arthritic.
Zoo officials said they faced two options: locate a sanctuary that would
rescue the lions or have them shot.
John Minon, animal director at the Wildlife Park flew to Romania to see the
lions in August 2009. He told the Daily Mail, “I was truly shocked when I
saw them and knew we had to help. The lions were living in awful
conditions.”
“The zookeepers care for the animals, but they don’t have any money or the
proper resources, and can’t even put tires up for them to play with,”
continued Minon.
Minon and his team returned to the UK determined to save the lions. Over the
next six months they raised enough money to nurse the animals back to health
and provide them with a fully equipped shelter. And once they get to the
Wildlife Park they will have a nine-acre compound to run around. Donations
for the project were made primarily by individuals who wanted to help.
Cheryl Williams, director of the Yorkshire Wildlife Park said, “It’s been a
real team effort. Everyone at the park’s been working so hard to get the
enclosure ready and then there’s the 12,500 people who gave donations to
make this happen. I want to thank everyone who’s helped.”
“It’s really exciting,” Williams continued. “It will be the first time in
their lives they will be able to run at their natural speed.”
The Rescue Mission
The rescued lions traveled in a converted Boeing 747 that was donated by the
Yorkshire based airline Jet2. The airline stripped out the seats from the
jet to accommodate their special passengers.
Each lion was outfitted in a separate crate and a veterinarian traveled
onboard with them. The group landed in a remote part of the airport away
from the public – just in case one of the lions got a little anxious.
Pilot Warwick Swancott said he had no problems with his passengers. “It’s
certainly the most unusual group of passengers I’ve had on board, but they
were no trouble at all.” Because the pride was used to the freezing
conditions in Romania, the temperature in the airplane cabin was turned down
to keep the calm.
Out of the original group of 18 lions, 13 will live at the Wildlife Park.
Three others have been returned to the wild in Africa and two will stay in
Romania.
Perplexing Facts
The Oradea Zoo was built 37 years ago while Romania was under the communist
regime. It is still home to 800 animals. And since it received aid for the
lions, the zoo has managed to put together enough money to start a
renovation project to modernize the facility.
In an interview with the Daily Mail Daiana Ghender, director of Oradea
seemed to blame the lions for the zoo’s financial troubles. She said, “If we
had kept the lions we would have spent all the money on their comfort and
this (renovation) would simply not have been possible.”
“The problem is the local authority has invested nothing in the zoo so there
is no money for animals to be well fed, even though they are forcing us to
break the law for the protection of animals.”
“As it is I am so very happy for the lions. I have worked so hard with my
team and with my friends who love animals, to make this happen.” “It was a
miracle we managed to save these animals.”
So is this a case of an overwhelmed zoo that is grateful its lions were
saved or a facility that wanted to free up funds by passing off the burden
of their big cats to another group?
Return to Animal Rights Articles