Befitting World Lion Day for five rescued lion siblings

A fitting World Lion Day it was on Wednesday 10 August 2022 as FOUR PAWS, a global animal welfare organisation, rescued seven lion siblings from exploitation and abuse in Romania.

According to a statement, the lions were brought to FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, FOUR PAWS is in a battle with the former owner of the lions to hand over the parent lions as well as a cub.

The organisation is adamant that the cub is being exploited as it has recently appeared in a music video. FOUR PAWS also fears that the owner will violate prior agreements to end breeding and urges the Romanian authorities to help in the matter.

The owner also forbade the FOUR PAWS team to vasectomise the adult male lion although this had been agreed in writing.

“The fact that these lions keep appearing in music videos is outrageous. This, the uncontrolled breeding and the inappropriate keeping conditions are clear signs the owner should not be allowed to keep lions. It’s a shame that Romania’s animal welfare laws even allow this,” says Ioana Dungler, Director of the Wild Animals department at FOUR PAWS.

“The owner keeps refusing to hand over the animals or to at least allow a vasectomy of the male to stop the breeding. We will do everything in our power to prevent any further animals from suffering the cruel fate of inappropriate keeping or commercial exploitation.”

“We urge the former owner to respect the agreement signed with us and prompt the Romanian authorities to help us give these lions a better life.”

FOUR PAWS also revealed that Romania banned the keeping of big cats and other wild animal species in circuses in 2017, and private keeping is only allowed with a special permit.

Additionally, in the European Union and beyond, every year thousands of lions and other wild animals are exploited and abused for the commercial wildlife trade, for example for human entertainment.

“Despite positive steps in and outside of Europe, including Romania, towards better wild animal protection laws, many lions and other wild animal species are kept and bred privately in inappropriate conditions in circuses, for photo ops or in private yards around the world. They are cruelly abused for their body parts, their skin and bones, as pets and for entertaining humans,” said  Dungler.

FOUR PAWS offers large areas for family groups, facilitation of natural behaviour through enrichment and highest standards of medical care and security guards.