The five lions from Romania who arrived at the Lionsrock Big Cat Sanctuary outside Bethlehem have adapted well to their new home.
The lions Roman, Vincent, Dolf, Ellie and Geena, were rescued by the animal welfare organisation Four Paws in September 2021, as part of a group of seven lions rescued from inappropriate and unsafe conditions in Southern Romania. They were brought to the Felida Big Cat Sanctuary in the Netherlands for treatment and preparation, before their journey to South Africa.
The lions arrived at Lionsrock on 11 August, where they were initially monitored to see how they were adapting to the environment.
At their new home, the lions’ personalities have taken root.
Ellie is curious and inquisitive, always looking for ways to tease or play with her sister, Geena.
Geena mainly follows Ellie’s lead.
When not participating in enrichment activities, the sisters can be found near brothers Vincent, Roman, and Dolf most of the time.
While the three brothers share an obvious bond, Vincent and Roman are the more dominant males compared to Dolf.
Upon observation, it is clear all five lions love the enclosure’s greenery, the newly built platforms to laze on and to discover enrichment objects.
Roman is the adventurer among the lot and loves exploring.
“With the release into the bigger enclosure, it was time to show them their extensive forever home and give them time to explore every day for some hours,” explains Hildegard Pirker, sanctuary manager at Lionsrock.
This was also part of the Lionsrock team’s strategy to ensure that the five lions could adapt to the new area and become acquainted with their neighbours on the opposite side of the fence.
“Dolf, who is the most sensitive of the siblings and nervous around people, needed intensive attention before he was ready to go out into the 3 ha enclosure.”
