‘World’s loneliest lion’ begins new life in South Africa after five years of isolation
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Qatar Airways Cargo offered to fly the lion on an aircraft that had a hold door big enough for a lion crate.
PHOTOS: ANIMAL DEFENDERS INTERNATIONAL
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For five years, Ruben, a 15-year-old lion, was caged all alone in a private zoo in Armenia.
The zoo was abandoned after its owner died, according to Animal Defenders International (ADI), an animal welfare campaign group with presence in the United States, Britain and South America.
While all the other animals were relocated, Ruben was left behind, trapped in a tiny, concrete cell.
Lions usually live in groups, or prides. The prides are family units that may “comprise anywhere from two to 40 lions”, according to National Geographic.
Ruben, however, has lived in isolation for half a decade, which earned it the “world’s loneliest lion” title.
“All those years in isolation have had a profound impact on Ruben’s health,” said ADI on its website, adding that Ruben has neurological damage and small pupils based on a doctor’s assessment.
Due to poor care and poor nutrition, Ruben also has difficulty walking.
But it now has a shot at a new life after ADI secured it a new home in ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa.
Its 8,368km journey in late August was made possible when Qatar Airways Cargo offered to fly him with an aircraft that had a hold door big enough for a lion crate.
ADI’s president Jan Creamer said: “We are so thankful to Qatar Airways Cargo for all their support in helping (to) get Ruben to South Africa.
“Seeing Ruben walk on grass for the first time, hearing the voices of its own kind, with the African sun on its back, brought us all to tears,” she added.
Ruben is now getting used to its new home and friends, and is starting to roar again.
“Its whole demeanour has changed since its arrival at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. Gone is that anxious, angry, scared face, its eyes large and rounded,” ADI said on its website.
Ms Elisabeth Oudkerk, a senior vice-president at Qatar Airways Cargo, said: “We pledged to return wildlife and endangered species to their natural habitat, free of charge, and we will continue to do so.”
