Lion brothers rescued from the war in Ukraine “look like the healthiest lions imaginable” one year since being freed into their forever home. Tsar and Jamil, who were robbed of their innocence, torn away from their mother and thrust into exploitation on an ostrich farm, were freed into a sanctuary in South Africa in March last year.
Glen Vena, Born Free’s animal care manager at Shamwari Private Game Reserve, said: “They’ve changed in such a way that they’re making use of their privacy—privacy that they have never had. Tsar is showing more dominance. Jamil keeps a little bit back. He’s a bit timid, he’s a bit shy. But I have seen him on some occasions actually wrestling Tsar, chasing after Tsar. So they’re doing things similar to what wild lions would do—being very competitive, enjoying their new home. We’ve seen them sharpening their claws on the trees, marking, rubbing their heads on the trees.
“When Jamil arrived here, he was very scared—we say ‘skittish’. He was very scared. He would jump for anything that moved. Now, he’s amazing. He just goes about doing his own thing, and that’s what the bush has done to him. It has changed them into who they are today. The amazing condition they are in. They look like the healthiest lions imaginable.”
The heart-wrenching saga of these brothers began in a Ukrainian zoo, where they were cruelly ripped from their mother and thrust into the clutches of exploitation on an ostrich farm to satisfy the curiosity of tourists.
The young lions became malnourished and sickly while being kept in “utterly unsuitable conditions” without specialist care, and being fed a poor-quality diet.
Their salvation came in the form of a wildlife rescue centre in Kyiv, where the full extent of their agony was laid bare through veterinary examinations—calcium deficiencies and bone fractures etched a tale of suffering.
The duo began to recover from their harrowing ordeal, only to face another tragic turn when Ukraine found itself under siege in 2022.
The outbreak of war in Kyiv cast a dark shadow over the lions’ precarious future.
But an incredible team at the Ukrainian rescue centre worked tirelessly to evacuate the cats to Natuurhulpcentrum (NHC) in Belgium, via a short stay at a Polish zoo.
This half-way house served as a haven for the lions since March 2022 while Born Free meticulously crafted plans for their re-homing in South Africa last year.
Glen said: “They’re doing well. They’re just minding their own business, taking in all the sounds, listening, observing. It’s amazing what natural enclosures can do for these lions in terms of their mental well-being.
“They’re making use of the beautiful enclosure, we see them often with our guests that come and visit. We’ve got beautiful viewing decks they climb on. They enjoy the food so much that the vet has to keep an eye on me, and he does regular visits just making sure that all is good with them. But all in all, they’re doing very well and they look extremely good.”
