Wildlife Conservation United States Project #45110

Help 750+ Rescued Lions, Tigers, Bears & Horses

by The Wild Animal Sanctuary

Help 750+ Rescued Lions, Tigers, Bears & Horses

Project Report | Jan 7, 2023
Ukraine Lions

By Patrick Craig | Executive Director

Ukriane Lion in Transport

War, what is good for? The displacement of people and animals from their homes for sure. I’m betting you’ve heard by now of the more than 1 million civilians driven from their homes due to the fighting between Russia and Ukraine. But did you hear about the 9 African Lions from the Bio Park Zoo in Odessa? By March of 2022, they found themselves in danger and needed help as their city was starting to take air strikes.

But how do you get Lions out of a war zone!? It’s not easy. We had to first get them transported to a safer area for temporary residence because as you can imagine, the red tape involved with getting them out of the country, let alone one at war, was extensive. Every place that was contacted wanted to help but didn’t have the space to accept them. Finally, the Targu Mures Zoo in Romania stepped up to the plate but could only hold the Lions for a short time. That’s all we needed.

A group called Warriors of Wildlife (WOW) took on the mission of getting the Lions out of the active war zone and safely to Romania. During transport, a primary bridge was bombed by Russia causing the mission to have to detour to a route that took 3 times as long. Thankfully they were nowhere near the bridge when it was bombed and had the alternate route ready. With a little luck and a whole lot of skill, they made it!

Safe in their temporary residence, the clock was ticking, and TWAS worked tirelessly to get everything from paperwork to transportation crates ready for international travel. There were many snags and hiccups, but in September of 2022 we were finally able to bring them to their new home in Colorado.

Now these magnificent creatures are living in a war free, 80-acre habitat with natural grass beneath their paws, open sky above and rolling hills! They are forming prides and bonds and most importantly, at long last they have finally found peace.

Ukraine Lions at the Refuge

Links:

Permalink

Sep 15, 2022
Budahshay Rescue

By Patrick Craig | Executive Director

Budahshay

Budahshay’s story starts like too many others - at an illegal Tiger breeding facility. This particular facility is called Bearcat Hollow and it’s a run-down farm in Missouri. It boasted itself as a sanctuary but that was a lie. They bred Tiger cubs and charged for play then sold them as pets or to roadside zoos when they got older. Others were shot in a shed when they got too old, and their skins and teeth were sold on the black market.

Budahshay and another Tiger named Bailey are probably only alive because they were raised/caged with and friends with a Lion named Leo. Leo was castrated and because of that he didn’t grow a mane. He was also a little goofy, so he made a lot of money. This made the trio some of the few who survived becoming adults.

Feds finally took notice of Bearcat Hollow and jailed the owners. Over 75 animals were rehomed to Spirit of the Hills in South Dakota, though many died on the trip there from having been overbred. They never housed that many animals before and they all ended up crammed in tiny cages again.

The owner of Spirit of the Hills used to love all the animals he homed. But he was a hoarder and kept on taking animals even when he could no longer afford to feed all of them. He would favor the newer animals and give them most of the food. After a while the frustration and inability to afford to take care of the animals made him depressed, violent and reclusive. He locked out most of the volunteers all of the sudden and let his chickens all starve to death. And still he kept collecting.

One day when the owner of Spirit of the Hills went out of town, the volunteers snuck onto the property to check on the animals. They were mortified to find that new animals would be fat and overfed while the dozens of other animals were weak and starving - some couldn’t even stand. The volunteers called the authorities who got word out to veterinarians and inspectors. Several Tigers were suffering so much that they were immediately euthanized.

Finally, The Wild Animal Sanctuary was called to help! Budahshay and her friends would be going once again to a new home. But they could never have imagined the expansive freedom and surmounting love that they would soon get to have for the rest of their lives. And to make it even better, they got to be among the first out at our massive 9,752-acre Wild Animal Refuge!

It’s because of the love and support of wonderful people like you who believe in our mission that we can help these magnificent creatures. Giving them lives as peaceful and close to the wild as possible is our honor. If you aren’t yet part of our cause please, take some time to find a way to help. There are many, many ways to be a part of our historic efforts to end the Captive Wildlife Crisis.

Budahshay & Leo

Budahshay, Leo & Bailey

Links:

Permalink

May 24, 2022
TWAS - Moon Bears

By Patrick Craig | Executive Director

Before at Bile Farm

Have you ever heard of “Bile Bears”? Most people haven’t. And I can tell you it’s one of the most horrific and archaic acts still happening to these poor animals. Thanks to our relationship with KAWA (Korean Animal Welfare Association) from a previous rescue, we were able to assist in rescuing 22 such bears from South Korea that were subject to this terrible abuse.

Bear Bile Farming involves confining Bears into small rebar cages that are reminiscent of coffins. A tube is then surgically placed (not by professional surgeons) into the bears gallbladder to allow bile to drain into a bucket positioned below the cage. A metal belt is placed around the midsection of the Bears body in order to keep them from moving in any way that will cause the tube to fall out. The cage is then closed to make repositioning, rolling or even neck bending impossible. Many Bears live like this for years. The ones who die are actually considered the lucky ones.

Many people have stood up to fight this appalling industry that primarily takes place in Asian countries. Bile Farming is now illegal in South Korea and Vietnam, though it remains legal in China. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent bringing these 22 Bears to the USA and we couldn’t be more grateful that we were able to help them. But so many more Bears still need our help.

Your donations help change the lives of Bears like these, as well as so many other animals that are being abused and exploited. The Captive Wildlife battle rages on and with support from people who believe in our mission, TWAS will always be there to answer the call. Please donate and be a part of changing the lives of these and many other animals in need.

After at TWAS

Links:

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4 5 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.