Born Free Foundation - Keep Wildlife in the Wild

Kuma

Kuma ♂

Date of birth: July 1996

Species: leopard (Panthera pardus)    

Kuma was rescued from Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire).  He is presumed to be wild born and was found for sale with his brother Tango, at the edge of a forest when a few days old.  Alberto Mané, a young Italian, bought them and took them to live at his home where he successfully hand-reared the mischievious pair. 

Kuma and Tango loved Alberto and playing on the beach with him.  However, at about 13 months old the leopards started becoming dangerous and unpredictable.  Wild animals are very difficult to care for an never make good pets.  Alberto knew the pair had to be rehomed, and a friend approached Born Free and Shamwari on his behalf.

The Ivory Coast government would not issue an export licence and insisted the cubs were sent to Abidjan Zoo.  This zoo has terrible conditions for the animals and Alberto was distraught at the prospect.  The young leopards hated the zoo and paced endlessly, crying for Alberto.  Within two weeks Tango broke out and escaped.  He was shot dead.

Everyone redoubled their efforts to bring Kuma to Shamwari and finally, after the kind intervention of the Italian Ambassador in Abidjan, the government at last relented.  He arrived on 12^th March 1999.

Kuma is a magnificent-looking leopard and although shy and secretive around strangers he is very friendly and affectionate with the team who care for him.

Shada

Shada ♀

Date of birth: estimated 1997

Species: lion (Panthera leo)

Shada lived with two other lions, Nalla and Djunka, in a cramped trailer of Cirque Katia Ullman which toured the Dordogne and Gironde regions of France.  Nervous of strangers she would cower at the back of the trailer, but as there was only room for one and a half paces in each direction, there was nowhere to hide.  French pressure group, One Voice, found they were being held illegally.  They were able to get the French government to confiscate the lions and appealed to Born Free to rehome the lions at Shamwari.

The three lions were living in one ‘beast wagon’, divided into three 2m x 2m sections.  When Born Free investigated in July 2006, we were horrified to discover the lions had not been out of their wagon since their arrival – nine years ago for Djunka and Nalla, three years ago for Shada.  Shada had been de-clawed to make her safer to handle.

The lions were rescued and transferred to Shamwari on 3^rd November, 2006.  Blood tests revealed the older lioness, Nalla, was suffering from kidney disease and although she initially responded to treatment, sadly, she had to be euthanased just six months after her arrival.  A bigger shock had come a month earlier when the male, Djunka, was killed by the bite of a snake, probably a Cape cobra. 

Both Djunka and Nalla were 17 -quite elderly for lions, but we all felt terribly sad they had only a few months in their new homes, which they so much seemed to enjoy.  They experienced grass underfoot, could walk and run, hide in the undergrowth or bask in the sunshine, which is a small comfort.  Shada now lives alone.  She doesn’t seem lonely though, and has changed from being almost terrified of people to being affectionate and friendly with the team who care for her.

The Three Js

Jools ♀, James ♂ and Jerry ♂

Dates of birth:    Jools – estimated 1995;

James and Jerry – estimated 2001

Species: lions (Panthera leo)

These three lions, 12 year old Jools and her six-year old sons, were living in a closed zoo in Romania.  The zoo had failed to meet the tough standards of Romania’s new legislation, brought in to meet the requirements of the EU Directive on Zoos.  (Romania joined the European Union in January 2007.)

The lions had been living in a squalid, barren concrete and barred enclosure.  In winter the zoo keepers used to shut them indoors to protect the lions from the harsh weather.  But sometimes they were shut indoors for several weeks at a time, lying and eating off concrete slimy and filthy from their urine and faeces.  They were in almost perpetual gloom as there was no electricity to the building, the only light coming from a small, dirty window. 

An American NGO¹, Lion’s Roar, raised funds to have a wood-burning heater installed in their indoor quarters, and wooden sleeping shelves to get them off the concrete floor.  After the zoo was closed, Born Free was called upon to rehome them.  We raised the necessary funds to bring them to Shamwari and with the Association for the Protection of Animals in Romania, dealt with all the lengthy permit applications and paperwork needed to make the rescue happen.  The lions arrived at Shamwari on 2^nd August, 2007. 

They were very nervous of people on arrival, and James’ fear made him aggressive, charging the fence.  They remained a tight family unit, staying close and supporting each other.  Now though they are very relaxed with the team who care for them, and are much more comfortable around strangers too.

¹Non governmental organisation

Brutus

Brutus ♂

Date of birth: estimated 2001

Species: lion (Panthera leo)

Born Free and Shamwari were first alerted to the plight of Brutus in 2005 by the French NGO¹ ‘One Voice’.  Their investigator found Brutus confined to a ‘Cirque Vitalis’ trailer with cage space of less than two square metres.  Apparently Brutus was never let out; the circus was very run down and the domestic animals were in a ‘horrendous state’.

One Voice took action to get Brutus confiscated and asked if Shamwari and Born Free could offer him a home.  We agreed but unfortunately, during the investigations that were needed for the confiscation the circus moved to a new ‘Departement’ which meant the whole legal process had to start all over again with new local authorities.

One Voice eventually secured the necessary agreement for the confiscation of Brutus to take place, then handed over his case to their colleagues at FAA² and SPA³ who kindly worked with us on the permits and fund-raising.

Brutus was eventually confiscated on 13^th December 2007.  There was a heavy frost that night, and for Brutus lying on the metal floor of his trailer, with no bedding provided, it must have been extremely uncomfortable.  Brutus was taken temporarily to a French sanctuary, le Refuge de l’Arche where he could remain safely while the permits were arranged – we had good reason to be concerned that the circus might spirit him away once they learnt of the confiscation.  With space limited at the French sanctuary, Brutus had to remain in indoor quarters until his transfer could be finalised.

On 27^th April, 2008, Brutus was transferred to Shamwari.  Suddenly he was faced with many new sensations: grass under his feet, the sky above; the ability to walk and run in a straight line; he had not experienced these for five years – or perhaps ever in his life.  However, he settled in surprisingly quickly and is now a friendly, affectionate lion. 

¹Non governmental organisation

²Society for the Protection of Animals

³Foundation for the Assistance of Animals

The Lion Cubs

Marina ♀ and Sarnia ♀

Date of birth: estimated November 2007

Species: lion (Panthera leo)

In Dec 2007, the Foundation was alerted to the tragic story of two 4-week old lion cubs, Marina and Sarnia .  They had been abandoned outside an apartment block in Central Bucharest.   One of the cubs had severe enteritis, a potentially fatal condition. They were given temporary shelter by Monica Minciu from the Romanian Animal Welfare Group, APAR¹, and emergency veterinary treatment was administered.  Meanwhile Born Free launched an urgent appeal in the British media for their rescue.  

A very generous sponsor stepped in to help and in February 2008, the Foundation and Shamwari were able to go ahead with preparing for their rescue.  Monica received the news with mixed feelings.  Much as she loved the cubs, they were trashing her flat and causing a lot of expensive damage!

While the import and export permits were being arranged, the cubs were transferred to Guernsey, an island off the coast of Great Britain, and to the quarantine enclosures of the GSPCA² Animal Shelter.  Here the cubs were prepared for their new life, with their dependence on humans being slowly decreased.  They were also played recordings of sounds of the African bush, complete with lions roars!  The cubs seemed fascinated by the strange sounds – but wanted to keep close to their human carers too.

The cubs traveled well on their long journey to Shamwari, and arrived at their new home on 27^th April, 2008.  We thought they might be nervous initially, and want to remain close to Jayne le Gras, their foster mum.  However, Jayne and the other carers had done their parenting well.  The cubs were curious, confident and out-going.  To those of us watching the cubs’ investigation the grass and bushes, a transformation seemed to take place.  In their natural habitat they no longer looked like over-grown kittens; suddenly it was possible to see the powerful lions they would soon become.

¹Association for the Protection of Animals in Romania

²Guernsey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals