Rescued lions known as the Kuwait 6 have finally found their forever home in South Africa thanks to all the people who did not give up on a hopeful future for them!
Free State, South Africa (23 May 2024) — Rescued lions known as the Kuwait 6 have finally found their forever home in South Africa and the beginning of a new life that is a far cry from their pasts in Kuwait City.
The lions – males Muheeb, Saham, Shujaa, Saif, and females Dhubiya and Aziza – were all recaptured after being dumped by owners either in the streets of Kuwait City (where it is illegal to keep lions as pets) or in other areas where chances of survival were slim; as was the case for Dhubiya and Saif.
When Dhubiya and Saif were young cubs, they were discovered abandoned in the desert and starved.
However, staff and volunteers at Kuwait Zoo nursed them back to help, and recaptured the other Kuwait 6 members too. But, this was not the end of their story.
Animal Defenders International (ADI) got on board, and offered the lions the hope of a new home at their 455-acre ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa!
This led the lions to the biggest adventure of their lives—and one that called on many unsung heroes to make the relocation operation a success.
Kuwait 6 Adventure to South Africa
For one, renowned wildlife veterinarian Dr Peter Caldwell monitored the lions throughout the relocation process, including during their sedation for loading into travel crates. During the flight ADI’s Jan Creamer and Tim Phillips made sure the lions were looked after, fed and given water.
Initially, the lions were let into their night houses at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in the Free State but have now been released into quarantine enclosures where they are playing with catnip punchbags and giant balls!
After two weeks in quarantine, they will be released into individual large natural enclosures of up to 4 acres.
While theirs is a story of hope and heroes, The Kuwait 6 also symbolise an illicit, global trade which is now being boosted through irresponsible social media posts featuring people petting and ‘playing’ with big cats.\
In this cruel business, babies are taken from their mothers when they are young and cute, leaving them lonely and dependent on their captors for food and attention for life. The animals are often kept in isolation and in inappropriate conditions including being chained or caged in basements.
Used as status symbols, these magnificent, intelligent, emotional animals can live for 20 years but are dumped like fashion accessories once the owner has tired of them. Many owners realise that as lions grow, they become powerful, expensive to feed, and simply express themselves naturally, which can be very dangerous and destructive for humans.
ADI believes that if action is not taken soon and big cat ownership continues to be promoted as trendy, in a few years, the problem of lions and tigers being discarded around the world could reach epidemic promotions.
“The Kuwait 6 lions have their whole lives ahead of them and will have acres of space at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. The ADI supporters who are helping to fund their care and this rescue are giving these lions their lives back, living as close as possible to the life they lost.
“This is great news for these lions but also a warning about a cruel and irresponsible trade. Lions should never be kept as pets, they are wild animals. ADI is grateful to the authorities in Kuwait for action to try and halt this illegal trade, to Kuwait Zoo for providing a safe haven for the lions, to Qatar Airways Cargo for helping bring them home, and to the ADI supporters funding the care of these animals,” shared President of ADI, Jan Creamer.
“Seeing these lions playing as they start their new lives at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary is magical and we are excited to see them start to explore their large habitats. It is also a reminder of how much work needs to be done to stop the suffering of others like them and to defeat the wildlife traffickers. I hope that people will join ADI as we work for that goal,” Jan adds.
To find out more and help care for the Kuwait 6 lions visit: https://adiwildlifesanctuary.org.za.
by 