Abandoned In Russia, Lion Cubs Rescued From Wildlife Trade And Start A New Life In Italy

JAKARTA - A young lion is starting a new life in a wildlife sanctuary in Italy after being found abandoned as a child in Russia. According to the Born Free Foundation, the child, named Simba, was rescued from the wildlife trade.

Simba was emaciated and meowing in distress when he was found in a cardboard box in a deserted garage near Moscow in 2020.

Only a few weeks old and lacking most of his fur due to a skin condition, he was so weak that he could barely stand.

"While little is known about how Simba ended up in such desperate circumstances, it is likely that he was an innocent victim of the cruel wildlife trade and was banished due to his poor conditions," said the Born Free Foundation, which helps organize the lion's trip to Western Europe. , just a few months before the outbreak of war, reports Euronews June 23.

The little lion cub was rescued by volunteers in the summer of 2020 on the outskirts of Moscow. He was taken to the Wildlife Hospital Foundation, where he was treated and nursed back to health.

But the cage space is not enough: Simba needs a new home. Born Free was contacted and started planning a better life for the lions. Hours of evaluation and treatment were carried out involving specialists from wildlife centers in three countries.

It is known that Born Free has rescued many other lions over nearly four decades.

Earlier this year, four circus lions known as the 'Lions of Lockdown' were returned to the wild, bringing them from France to the Born Free sanctuary in Shamwari in South Africa.

Simba was transported to the Natuurhulpcentrum Wildlife Rescue Center in Belgium in December 2021. While a team of specialists there cared for him, Born Free prepared a permanent home for him, in the Animanatura Wildlife Sanctuary located in Tuscany, Italy.

Last Monday, June 13, Simba's 800-kilometer road trip from Belgium to Italy began. He has now arrived and is being placed in a temporary cage, while a new, purpose-built residence is in the works, for which Born Free has appealed.

"Born Free has always championed the importance of each individual wild animal. Simba is his symbol. He is an example of why saving lions from the worst forms of human exploitation, from the wildlife trade, circuses, zoos or from hunting. Facilities are very important to all of us in the family. Born Free," said Executive President and Co-Founder of Born Free, Will Travers.

The charity, which calls 2022 the 'Year of the Lion', says "there has never been a more important time to protect and prioritize" the future of animals.

"In the 1960s, when the film Born Free was made, there were about 200,000 lions in the wild. Today there are only 20,000 left, a crushing 90 percent decline in just 55 years," he added.