Vanda, kept inside an apartment, was malnourished and infested with parasites.<\/p>\n
Whitnall says that in her new home, Vanda, like the others, can \u201cbecome the lion she deserves to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lions were saved by the Wild Animals Rescue Centre, run by Natalia Popova, a Ukrainian woman who has saved hundreds of abandoned pets and zoo animals since Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion in February 2022.<\/p>\n Lions, tigers, leopards, wolves, deer, monkeys and more have passed through her shelter, a converted horse stable near Kyiv.<\/p>\n Hundreds have been sent abroad for treatment and recovery. Whitnall was determined to bring the five lions to Britain, even though the sanctuary had nowhere to put them.<\/p>\n A fundraising campaign launched in May 2024 raised more than \u00a3500,000 (\u20ac598,360) to cover the costs of transportation, veterinary care and building a new home for the cats.<\/p>\n Staff say they are adapting well to their enclosures, which have been designed around each lion\u2019s individual needs.<\/p>\n Yuna and Rori, who have coordination issues, got gently landscaped environments where they can\u2019t fall from a height, while sisters Amani and Lira have trees to climb. Vanda, the most playful and confident of the lions, has an enclosure that includes a water feature.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s a bit of a journey. We’ve got more to do, but they are taking everything so incredibly well,\u201d said curator Briony Smith, who looks after the animals. \u201cYou can already tell that there is improvement in their care and their welfare and the way that they feel about that.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith and Whitnall are still getting to know their four newest charges. They have already formed a strong bond with Yuna, who had never been on grass until she was rescued.<\/p>\n \u201cShe could barely walk,\u201d Whitnall said. \u201cShe was suffering from shell shock and concussion. She was so severely bad that they were actually going to euthanize her. But we managed to step in and get her out of the war zone, and she\u2019s just come on leaps and bounds since being here at the sanctuary.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just so happy with her progress,\u201d said Whitnall, who enjoys feeding Yuna her favorite snack of raw chicken legs. \u201cShe\u2019s a beautiful lioness now.\u201d<\/p>\n This article<\/a> by Kirsty Wigglesworth was first published by EuroNews on 26 March 2025. Lead Image: Copyright AP Photo\/Kirsty Wigglesworth. Wildlife continues to face threats, which include hunting, poaching, illegal trade in animal products, habitat loss as well as a rapidly changing climate.<\/p>\n Become a Wildlife Champion today by supporting our conservation partners<\/a> with a monthly donation as little as $1.<\/p>\nHow are the lions adapting to life at the sanctuary?<\/h2>\n
\n<\/i><\/p>\nWhat you can do<\/h2>\n