TSAR & JAMIL
Left, Tsar and Jamil when first rescued. Right, the brothers at Shamwari
Lion brothers Tsar and Jamil were born in a zoo in Ukraine in 2021, before being taken from their mother as cubs and sold to an ostrich farm, where they were exploited for visitor handling and photos. They had been kept in poor conditions and fed a poor-quality diet, leading to malnourishment, calcium deficiencies, and even bone fractures.
Following pressure from local animal protection organisations, the lions were sent to a wildlife rescue centre in Kyiv, where they began to recover from their ordeal – until further hardship came their way. When war broke out in Ukraine they were evacuated to Belgium, via Poland, where they received temporary care at wildlife rescue centre Natuurhulpcentrum. In March 2024, Born Free gave them a safe and permanent home at our big cat sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South Africa.
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SANDRO
Left, Sandro at the zoo. Right Sandro at the sanctuary (c) Animanatura
Sandro the 15-year-old tiger lived in poor conditions at Ayamonte Zoo, Spain. Thankfully, the zoo was closed in 2019 following many years of campaigning by Born Free and other animal welfare organisations. The animals were rehomed to better conditions. Sandro had been given a temporary home by our friends at Natuurhulpcentrum, Belgium, until Born Free rehomed him to Animanatura Wild Sanctuary, Italy in 2021.
AMUSEMENT PARK GRIVET MONKEYS
Left, grivet monkeys when confiscated. Right, the monkeys at Ensessa Kotteh (c) Bereket Girma
In 2021, Born Free’s team in Ethiopia helped the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA) and local police with the confiscation of four grivet monkeys who were being held in terrible conditions at an Amusement Park on the outskirts of Addis Ababa. The poor monkeys were tethered by chains or ropes, handled for ‘entertainment’, and fed an inappropriate diet of biscuits and fruit. All four grivets were rescued and given a new home at our Ensessa Kotteh rescue centre.
MOWGLI & ZEISS
Zeiss (left) and Mowgli at Shamwari (c) BF Shamwari
Leopards Mowgli and Zeiss were rescued from Bloemfontein Zoo in South Africa, when the zoo was closed following numerous animal welfare infringements. Working with our friends at Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary and Bloemfontein SPCA, they were rescued and given a lifetime home at our Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in 2020.
ALPHA & CORA
Alpha and Cora (c) Panthera Africa
Lionesses Alpha and Cora were confiscated from a bankrupt zoo in southern Spain. A team from Natuurhulpcentrum, a rescue centre in Belgium, teamed up with Dutch animal rights organisation, Stichting AAP, to collect Alpha and Cora from the zoo, overseen by Spanish animal charity FAADA. They were both temporarily cared for by Natuurhulpcentrum in Belgium before being transfer to newly constructed bush enclosures at the Born Free Rescue Section at Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa, in 2019, with the support of British Airways Holidays.
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NELSON
Left, Nelson before arriving at the sanctuary. Right, Nelson at Shamwari (c) BF Shamwari
Nelson the lion was rescued from Parc Zoologique du Bouy, France, in 2015 by French organisation ‘Fondation 30 Million d’Amis’, when the zoo fell into liquidation and the owner was arrested for wildlife trafficking. It is unclear how long Nelson was at the zoo, but he was believed to be around 17 years old at time of rehoming. He was rehabilitated at Natuurhulpcentrum, a wildlife rescue centre in Belgium, before Born Free gave him a new home at our Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South Africa, in 2017.
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HARAMAYA UNIVERSITY ZOO
Animals at Haramaya Zoo
In 2013, Born Free rescued six animals from a zoo at Haramaya University in Ethiopia. These were two black-backed jackals, Hara and Maya; two hyenas, Tigeste and Uwerr; and two baboons, who had languished for many years in small, pitiful cages. The recue had taken two long years to negotiate, but we were finally able to move these animals and provide them with lifetime care at our rescue centre in Ethiopia ‘Ensessa Kotteh’.
BELLA
Left, Bella at the zoo. Right, Bella and Simba together (c) Born Free
Bella, a lioness with one eye, was rescued from a substandard zoo in Romania in 2009. Bella was relocated to Lilongwe Wildlife Centre in Malawi. In 2014, Bella was introduced to male lion Simba who had been rescued from a circus.
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LEDA, ROXANNE AND RHEA
Left, The leopards in the zoo. Right, Rhea and Roxanne at Shamwari
In 2009, three leopards, Leda and her daughters, Roxanne and Rhea, were rehomed from a small cage at Limassol Zoo in Cyprus to our Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South Africa, following a long-running campaign. The Mayor of Limassol pledged that the zoo would not replace them.
SIRIUS & PITOU
Left: Sirius and Pitou at the zoo. Right, Pitou enjoying his new home in South Africa (c) C Wright
Following a lengthy 10-year campaign, leopard siblings Sirius and Pitou were rehomed from the cliff-top Monaco Zoo in 2008, when the decision was made to reduce the number of large animals kept. They were given a new home at our Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South Africa.
SINBAD
Left: Sinbad before his rescue. Right: Sinbad happy at Shamwari (c) Catriona Wiles
In 2007, Sinbad the lion was rescued from a cramped concrete cage at a substandard zoo in Romania and given a new home at our Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South Africa. Sinbad was half the size of a normal lion due to poor nutrition when young. In 2015, Sinbad was introduced to Achee, a lioness rescued from a car park in Romania in 2004.
JERRY, JOULES & JAMES
Left: Jools before her rescue. Right: Jools and Jerry asleep at Shamwari
In 2007, lions Jools and her sons, Jerry and James were rescued from squalid conditions in a Romanian zoo. They were given a new home at our Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South Africa
STELLA & DIMITRIS
Left: Stella in the zoo enclosure. Right: Stella and Aslan
Lions Stella and Dimitris lived in cramped conditions in a zoo in northern Greece. In 2000, they were rescued and given a new life at our Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South Africa. Following Dimitris’ death, Stella made a new friendship with rescued lion Aslan.
KUMA
Left: Kuma at the zoo. Right: Kuma at Shamwari
Kuma the leopard was sold as a pet after his mother was killed by poachers in the Ivory Coast. He was then kept at Abidjan Zoo until his behaviour was deemed ‘unpredictable’. In 1999, Born Free rehomed Kuma at our Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South Africa.
ASLAN & GILDA
Left: Aslan and Gilda before their rescue. Right: Aslan and Gilda
In 1996, assisted by BBC’s ‘Challenge Anneka’, lions Aslan and Gilda were rescued from Athens’ National Gardens. After three years in a sanctuary in Kent, they were transferred to our Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South Africa.
BILL & GINNY
Left: Bill and Ginny in the zoo. Right: Bill and Ginny at Bannerghatta
In 1996, we rescued our very first animals from a zoo. Two tigers, Bill and Ginny, were rescued from a closed down, squalid zoo in Belgium and rehomed to a sanctuary in Kent. Following Bill’s death, Ginny was transferred to her ancestral homeland in India and given a new home at Bannerghatta Tiger Sanctuary in 2002.
