One day, photos started appearing on social media of a tiny, skinny lion cub in a Paris apartment. People couldn’t believe it—what was a lion doing in Paris? Rescuers immediately started working on tracking down this lion and his owner. Finally, they traced him to an apartment in Noisy-le-Sec.
Firemen and animal rescuers descended on the apartment. They put the scared, starving animal in a cage and took him away from his neglectful owner.
From there, the lion cub went to the Natuurhulpcentrum Rescue Center in Belgium. They decided to name the regal cub King.
King was now safe, and he had space to roam and plenty of food to eat. But rescuers wanted to do more for this cub who had been through so much in first few months of life. They wanted to get him back to his real home in Africa.
The rescue organization Born Free hoped to bring King to their animal sanctuary in South Africa. This sanctuary was home to other big cats like King who had been abused and neglected. But to get King there, they needed to raise the money for his transportation.
“King will be given lifetime care in a spacious, safe and natural environment, surrounded by the beautiful sights and sounds of Africa,” Born Free wrote. “King’s new life at Born Free’s big cat sanctuary will be a world away from the Paris apartment.”
Many people were moved by King’s story, and by the time King had turned one, Born Free had raised the money they needed to bring King to South Africa!
When it was time to move King, Born Free put him into a crate for the very last time in his life. Then, they loaded the juvenile lion onto a plane bound for South Africa. On July 5, 2018, King arrived in South Africa. And then, he got to take his first steps in his ancestral home!
Everyone at Born Free was thrilled to have King at their sanctuary!
“I am sure there will be a lot of smiling faces today!” Victoria McKenna OBE, Born Free’s Co-Founder and Trustee, said. “So many people responded to our appeal to bring young King to Shamwari, and now he has arrived! Thanks to everyone whose hearts were touched by his story, he now takes his first steps on African soil, and can begin his happy new life. May it be a long and peaceful one.”
King has been the sanctuary for about a week, and he loves everything about it. He’s having a great time roaming around and exploring his new surroundings.
Thankfully, King is now safe and happy, but there are still many other exotic animals trapped in the illegal pet trade. Born Free and other animal rescue organizations are fighting as hard as they can stop this illegal trade once and for all.
“It is staggering that, in 2018, lion cubs are still finding their way into the pet trade in Europe,” Chris Draper, head of animal welfare and captivity for Born Free, said. ” This situation needs to be addressed urgently, and we hope that by introducing the world to King – his plight, his rescue and his rehoming to lifetime care – Born Free can draw attention to this important issue.”
Born Free and the other organizations who helped with King’s rescue did an amazing job saving this lion and getting him to a good home. If you’d like help Born Free save other animals like King, consider donating to their organization.
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