Ukrainian Animal Rescuer Sends 5 Abandoned Lions to UK Sanctuary

Thought Question: If you could rescue and care for any animal in the world, which one would you choose and how would you help it?

In wartime and other terrible events, people often forget about the wildlife in harm’s way. Natalya Popova doesn’t. 

Since the war in Ukraine started, Popova has rescued hundreds of wild animals. She's saved deer, leopards, lions, monkeys, tigers, wolves, and other species from the line of fire. She runs the Wild Animals Rescue Center near Kyiv. Most recently, the animal lover sent five lions to a UK sanctuary. They'd all been abandoned by their owners. Their owners had obtained them illegally. 

“Ultimately, my goal is to rehome these big cats to someplace safer. The biggest challenge is finding that place,” wrote Popova for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. “Sadly, in Ukraine, there is rampant, unregulated breeding of big cats for private owners and the exotic pet trade, which only exacerbates the issue of overfilled shelters.”

Popova wrote that the cats can't be sent back to the wild. That’s because they were raised to depend on humans for their daily care.

Popova’s work in saving wildlife began in 2018. That was when she managed a horse center. She took in a lion with a broken spine. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the need for animal rescue soared. She then increased her rescue work.

The center struggled to find a new home for Amani, Lira, Rori, Vanda, and Yuna. But a fundraising campaign raised over $650,000. It paid for a new home for the five lions. They're at the Big Cat Sanctuary. It's in Kent, England.

The big cats are doing well, sanctuary curator Briony Smith told The Associated Press. "You can already tell that there is improvement in their care and their welfare and the way that they feel about that,” she said. 

Gif of a lion from GIPHY.