A lion cub rescued from a life of abuse and confinement in a Paris apartment last October stepped foot onto grass for the first time in his life this week. After months of preparation and fundraising, Born Free released “King” into his spacious new home at Shamwari Game Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
King was only a cub when shocking pictures began to circulate on social media in France, showing the terrified youngster kicked and beaten by his 24-year-old “owner.” French animal rescue organizations Foundation 30 Million d’Amis and Refuge de l’Arche managed to track the lion down just in time – when they arrived, the apartment had been abandoned. King was alone, starving and terrified, confined to a tiny, dirty cage.
Temporarily housed at the Natuurhulpcentrum Rescue Centre in Belgium, Born Free raised funds to help send him to their Big Cat Rescue Centre in South Africa.
“So many people responded to our appeal to bring young King to Shamwari, and now he has arrived,” said Virginia McKenna OBE, Born Free’s Co-Founder and Trustee. “Thanks to everyone whose hearts were touched by his story, he now takes his first steps on African soil, and can begin his happy new life.”
The team at Shamwari reported that when first released into his new enclosure, King was extremely brave, leaping out of his travel crate and exploring his new environment with ease.
Shamwari is permanent home to 16 other lions and leopards, who were saved from various horrific captive situations throughout the world. Like King, because they had a completely unnatural upbringing and life prior to rescue, they can never be released into the wild, lacking the natural skills and experience to survive.
“King was an innocent victim in the exotic pet trade, a sad reality for many wild animals,” stated the Shamwari website. “However, today was a joyous day as we got to see King’s incredibly heart-warming release into his forever home here at Shamwari’s northern Big Cat Sanctuary.”
The world needs to crack down on the Exotic Animal trade. These animals belong in the wild and left alone. Did anything happen to the owner of this animal? What’s to say he won’t own another one and do the same thing? This man needs to be prosecuted.
Stop abuse against animals . Stop cage for lions and all animals . Respect for life’s . Stop slavery innocent lives.
See about time it new freedom.
No wild animal should ever be considered a pet..its so sad what this poor lion went thru..there needs to be stricter laws and punishment against those who are involved in the exotic pet trade…this activity must be stopped once and for all
THANK YOU BORN FREE FOR HELPING IN THE RESCUE OF KING. HE WILL NOW LIVE OUT THE REMAINING YEARS FEELING LIKE A KING.GOD BLESS YOU ALL
Thank you Born Free for rescuing this innocent animal who never deserved the atrocious treatment he endured. I hope that the sick individual who treated King so painfully can be identified so he does not repeat the criminal treatment of an innocent animal. He deserves to be jailed forever.
After years of reading numerous animal cruelty cases, I will never tire of the ones with happy endings. Many, many thanks to Born Free for helping King live out his days free from abuse. I wish Born Free could help Lyka, the blind lioness who is sadly confined to a small, rusty & barren cage in the Philippines because the zoo considers her a breeding mistake.
May u need to contact Born Free and let them know of this poor lioness’ situation..then hopefully she can be saved
Animal cruelty is unacceptable. Toughter laws need to be enforced.
Thank you for saving this little lion from these creeps who didn’t deserve to have him in the first place,why they even wanted him to just to abuse him is crazy and very sad. I’m happy to know he can see what it is to be happy and comfortable and not to be beat on anymore .
Thank you Rescuers for saving this innocent little lion. Cruel perverts must be in every country. I couldn’t picture France being one. The USA sure has an abundance of them. I hope this stupid man gets caught and punished. Sometimes that is the only language mean creeps understand.
Wonderful he now has this great, forever home at the sanctuary.
Thank God for the kindness of GOOD people & sanctuaries for these exploited and abused animals.
Heartfelt thanks to you ALL
ANY ANIMAL ABUSER MUST BE HARSHLY PUNISHED…LONG JAIL TIME & HEFTY FINES!
Why is it so hard to figure out who this horrible person was that did this and make him pay for what’s he’s done to this poor animal?
I hope there is follow-up so that this abuser can’t move on to other animals!
thank you to the people who saved him. he is safe now ware he belongs and will de happy for life.
Path to freedom
THANK YOU THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED SAVE THIS POOR LION. FROM THE [email protected] BORN FREE , WHO RESCUED HIM, THE VOLUNTEERS, THE PEOPLE WHO DONATED. THEY ALL SAVED HIM AND WE THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD THANK YOU!!
Are the authorities going to severely punish the person/persons who had the big cat in France where he was mistreated abused and abandoned? WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT WHO EVER DID THIS IS SEVERELY PUNISHED OR THIS INSANITY WILL NEVER STOP!
BEST WISHES KING FOR A WONDERFUL NEW LIFE AT THE SHAMWARI RESERVE IN AFRICA WHERE YOU BELONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AMEN!
They destroyed that animal life from having a natural life in the wild. Why do people have to be so stupid. When sold like this means that when finally recused it takes public funding to look after these animals in a national park. Just like the elephants, tigers and so on. All these animals need to be where they belong. Then abandoning the cub leaving it in a crate had to be horrifying for the little guy.At least this little fellow has a happy ending thank god.It is nice to hear good news for once.
Why do people have to do that? Leave the wild animals alone where they are meant to be.
Thank God!!!
People do some very sick things to animals & they are just the victims. Of some very sick, cru2el people.
Thank God!!
WOOO HOOO! HAPPY DANCE TIME FOR THUS LION NAMED KING!
KING IS FREE AND SAFE FROM NOW ON AS THE OTHERS IN THIS GREAT PLACE AS WELL!
NOW GET THIS P.O.S. AND DO THE SAME THING HE DID TO KING!
FIND THE EFFER AND BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF HIM,THROW HIS SORRY ASS
IN A SMALL CONFINED JAIL CELL, NEVER TO GET OUT ALIVE!
I wish the POS who hurt King, would be found. Stuff him in a cage and beat him 24/7 . What a despicable monster this creep is. I’m so glad this precious lion is free and safe.
I want to hear about the prosecution of the asshole who beat and then abandoned this animal to die a slow horrific death by starvation. I want to know what the French authorities are doing to punish this asshole creep and what they are doing to PREVENT further wild animal confinement/abuse.
Thank God. King was rescued. The barbaric owner deserves the same treatment.
Big cats should never be permitted to be kept as pets anywhere. It’s way past time those in authority realized this simple truth and banned the public from owning any wild cat species.
France
so what did authorities do to this creep?
So happy for King, but enraged that his torturers weren’t caught. But karma will get them eventually.
It should be very very easy to get the creep who did this. All the authorities have to do is trace the man after he moved from this apartment. So why aren’t they?
Finally free
Finally free
Great nees, and thank Born Free for their tireless work! I hope King can now lead a much deserved happy life!
I am so happy , King is release ,finally, into freedom at Shamwari Game reserve. Hope King lives a happy life there. Shame on that owner who abuse and caged King. Thank you rescuers !
I only hope that those whom hurt and abuse animals are met by GOD’s vengence!
Please tell me the owner of this “pet” was brought to justice somehow…
Thank Heavens for his freedom.. keep playing little King.
Thank you
This is a beautiful story Thanks to the 30 milllions d’amis Foundation and all partners. Now I do hop justice against that iresponseable man!
Thank God he has been saved. Would love to see how he is getting on in his new home. Thank you to everyone involved in his rescue. It could have all gone horribly wrong if they had not got there in time.
Well done to the French rescuers. I hope this evil young man is brought to justice.
A good news story for once.
Very cool, this born free organization is very cool.i don’t understand why people insist on taking wild animals and try to keep them as pets this thinking is just crazy to me.thank goodness for these organizations that look out for these precious babies.
I hope the owner got his just desserts.
Thank God King was rescued in the nick of time. I am so happy to hear that Born Free has taken him to Shamwari Sanctuary. He deserves this after his rerrible ordeal. 🦁
Thank God you rescued that innocent Lion King 👑
What a heart warming story thank you for publishing it. Let’s hope that sometime in the future these horror stories will no longer be happening & with all these wonderful orginizations helping it will happen.
What wonderful news that the cute lion cub was rescued and now will only experience freedom and happiness. Are they fed well at this sanctuary? I hope he always has peace, fun and a full belly!
Thank God and all of the people who have made Born Free, the Natuurhulpcentrum Rescue Centre, the Big Cat Rescue Centre, and Shamwari Game Reserve possible. I pray that “King” thrives in his long overdue home.