A young lion rescued from Ukraine is relishing his new life in the UK after being saved from the bombs in Ukraine. He is seen fascinated by his new neighbours at Yorkshire Wildlife Park as he meets others of his own kind for the first time
This is the “amazing” moment a lonely orphaned lion rescued from war torn Ukraine spots others of his kind at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Oleg, along with siblings Rafael and Shanti, are three young lions recently rescued from Kyiv and brought to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park (YWP) in the UK.
Oleg was rescued all alone from private owners and is afraid of humans, having been alone since birth. While siblings Rafael and Shanti were found with their dying mother. The three were transported in separate crates for the 1,700 miles from Kyiv to Doncaster. But now they have come face to face in a ‘mesh meet’ for the first time and Oleg was fascinated.
The Wildlife Foundation, which is the charity based at the park, raised the funds to cover the specialist transport costs for the trip on Saturday. They are currently in isolation, preparing to join the other rescued lions at the park
A spokesperson for YWP told The Mirror: “The signs are super positive from him, he clearly wants friends. This shows why this rescue was so important. It was an amazing moment to see.”
Director of animals, Charlotte Macdonald, said: “It’s very early days and we don’t know how the other two will react. At the moment they seem a little more nervous to meet Oleg but hopefully in time they will be more receptive. Time and patience is the key
Oleg was rescued as a cub from private owners who fled the Sumy region during the escalation of war. He was raised by humans but longs for connections with other Lions.
Siblings, Rafael and Shanti, were found in the Kharkiv region next to their dying mother, a Lioness who had been abandoned in a private menagerie and starved.
It had been a race against time as workers at the Kyiv rescue and rehabilitation centre warned The Mirror that it is “important” they were evacuated “as soon as possible” as they were terrified by the shelling happening all around them.
On Saturday they were finally given a fresh start in Doncaster after a tiring trip.
It is hoped the three will eventually live as a Pride together in the five-acre enclosure. The mesh meet is stage one of the long process of introducing the three young lions.
It is the third rescue undertaken by Yorkshire Wildlife Park which has seen 17 lions brought to Lion Country over the years, the
seven-acre habitat has three specially designed reserves.
The WildLife Foundation has played a key role in raising funds to support the rescues, transportations and rehabilitations of the lions.
The first lion rescue took place back in 2010, which brought 13 African Lions to the Park.
Their rescue won international accolades for saving the lions from horrific conditions in Romania and giving them a new home in Yorkshire.
The success of this encouraged the park to take on a second mission in 2024, witnessed by The Mirror.
Aysa and her cubs, Emi, Santa and Teddi, now nearly three years old, travelled more than 2,000 miles across six countries from Poland after being abandoned in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
During the Russian invasion many animals were left alone with no food, water, or shelter and were terrified by the bombing but have since been thriving in Lion Country.