Pretoria - Five Romanian lions are now enjoying the African sun after they arrived here almost two months ago to spend the rest of their lives in species-appropriate care.
Their new home is at Four Paws LionsRock Big Cat Sanctuary in the Free State, where they are said to be adapting well to their new 3-hectare enclosure.
The lions were initially placed in a smaller enclosure to make sure they could be monitored while adapting. They have now found their forever home in the new enclosure that includes micro-habitats such as a small dam, a shady forest, rocky outcrops, rolling ridges, and the majestic backdrop of the Lionsrock Hill that the sanctuary was named after.
The newest arrivals – Roman, Vincent, Dolf, Ellie, and Geena – were rescued by the animal welfare organisation, Four Paws, in September last year as part of a group of seven lions rescued from inappropriate and unsafe conditions in southern Romania.
The lions were brought to the Netherlands for treatment and preparation before their journey to South Africa. The two older lions, Simba and Elza, need specialised care and will stay at the facility in the Netherlands for now.
Four Paws was alerted to the animals and the rescue followed after a lion named Simba, from the keepers’ breeding facility, appeared in a shocking music video.
After almost a year since the original rescue, the playful and robust three-year-old siblings, who were kept in a private backyard in Romania, now have the run of their extended enclosure.
“With the release into the bigger enclosure, it was time to show them their extensive forever home and give them time to explore every day for some hours,” said sanctuary manager at Lionsrock Hildegard Pirker.
This was also done so that the five young lions could meet their neighbours on the other side of the fence and get used to being part of the more than 70 lions at the sanctuary.
“Especially Dolf, who is the most sensitive of the siblings and nervous around people, needed intensive attention from our behaviour consultant before he was ready to go out into the three-hectare enclosure. His not-so-shy siblings had to wait so we could get him accustomed to his new African home, but they kept us busy as well,” Pirker said.
Dolf is the smallest male of the three and although Vincent and Roman can be seen mostly together, all three males have a good bond with each other. Vincent and Roman are more dominant in behaviour, but this does not mean that they are dominant toward Dolf.
Pirker explained that the relationships within this group work very well, so it seems all five lions feel very comfortable with this structure.
Pirker said the team of animal caretakers was still building trust with Dolf. This will help him live a happier, less stressful life.
Juno van Zon, the curator of the Four Paws Sanctuary, Felida, in the Netherlands, where the five lions spent 10 months before they were transferred to South Africa, joined them on the 40-hour move from the sanctuary in Nijeberkoop, Friesland, to Bethlehem, in the Eastern Free State. After arrival, he continued to monitor the five for a week to see that they are well settled but said it was hard to leave them behind.
“My best memory is a moment after I walked away for the last time, when I saw them being together between the trees and exploring their natural habitat. They are always following each other, and I think the bond is very strong. It is especially nice to see how well Dolf is doing. I think being there for the first days and immediately setting up training programmes and the husbandry that would help the lions, have borne fruit and we really see the results now,” he said.
Van Zon says Dolf is relaxed. “The way he is exploring, feeling confident and playing during his enrichment activities; I never saw him like this before. That for me is the absolute highlight of my work. To know we did the best for all of them and that they can live a stress-free life now.”
To the animal caretakers and staff at Lionsrock, the personalities of the five are clearly coming to the fore. Ellie is curious and inquisitive and always looking for something to do, a game to play with her sister, Geena, or a way to tease her.
Geena mainly follows Ellie’s lead. In addition to playing with their enrichment activities, the sisters can also be found hanging out with brothers Vincent, Roman and Dolf.
Vincent and his brother, Roman, are the more dominant males compared to Dolf. Although all three brothers have a good bond with one another, Vincent and Roman are mostly seen together, playing with each other and lying close together in the grass.
According to the caretakers, it is clear all five love the grass under their paws, the new platforms to lie on and to discover enrichment objects. Roman is an adventurer and loves exploring.
Head of wild animal rescue and advocacy at Four Paws Barbara van Genne said having witnessed the whole journey of the five siblings, she was thankful and happy that they were now living the best lives possible.
“It’s amazing how quickly the lions settled in at Lionsrock, and I look forward to seeing them live their best life for many more years to come. Most of our wild animal rescues are complicated and time-consuming, but this mission took it one step further. “
She said her fondest memory of the lions was how during their time at Felida they grew into confident teenagers, real rascals, showing that they were ready for more.
Pretoria News