Ukraine War's 'Unexpected Victims' Safe as Three Lions Rescued

A group of shell-shocked lions rescued from war-torn Ukraine have finally made it to their forever home.

The three lions have arrived at a French zoo and aquarium named Parc de l'Auxois in Burgundy after traveling 88 hours from the Eastern European country, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) reported Friday.

The lions named Atlas, Luladja and Queen were moved to a Wild Animal Rescue center near Ukraine's capital Kyiv before animal rescuers were able to arrange transportation to France by crossing the Polish-Ukrainian border.

"Animals, like humans, are in danger of being hit by shelling and missile attacks, or debris thereof – especially when in war zones, but even also outside of active zones," Annelyn Close, a spokesperson for IFAW, told Newsweek. "The explosions and shock of some of the warfare can have serious repercussions."

Atlas in particular, was in a dire state when he was found and rescued. After sounds of nearby bombing, the male lion became extremely aggressive, having also been locked in a tiny, concrete enclosure. He was kept by a private owner and found to be extremely overweight with injuries.

"His aggressive behavior is thought to result from all the stress he has experienced from being exposed to long-term warfare. Animals do not know what is happening, can't run away and have no way to express or vent pent up stress – especially in the case of Atlas being stuck in a small cage," Close said. "In addition, private owners who are often illegally keeping wild animals will have had to flee the war themselves and where you perhaps can bring a small cat or dog with you during an evacuation, you certainly cannot take a wild animal with you. So, the animal gets left behind and is at risk of starvation, dehydration and hypothermia."

The other two female lions were rescued from the Eastern front of Ukraine. The war in Ukraine has been raging on ever since Russia invaded in February 2022. Since then, not just humans, but all the animals in Ukraine have suffered.

Animals in zoos are not the only ones at risk from the warfare happening in Ukraine. There are many exotic big cats being kept as pets across the country, a problem that animal welfare charities had been looking to tackle even before the war broke out.

It is technically allowed for people to keep big cats as pets in Ukraine, provided they have proper resources, such as a suitable enclosure, as well as enough food, water and enrichment, Close explained. However, despite this, in many circumstances private owners do not provide suitable habitats for the cats.

"Many big cats were either abandoned, surrendered by individuals to animal rescue centers in different parts of Ukraine, or Wild Animal Rescue, [which is] a wildlife rescue centre near Kyiv, an IFAW partner, received anonymous tips on big cats in need of rescue," Close said. "We suspect that many big cats were purchased as pets and as they grew older and behaved like the big cats they are, the owners didn't want them anymore. The animals were then left behind when families had to evacuate because of the war or were surrendered anonymously to avoid potential prosecution."

Close added: "In other cases, big cats were rescued from breeding facilities where they were unable or unwilling to continue to care for the big cats as resources became scarce due to the war. Experts within Ukraine estimate that there are dozens more big cats, mostly lions, in private homes in need of rescue within the country. IFAW continues to work with local partners like Wild Animal Rescue to assist them in rescuing and evacuating big cats in need in Ukraine whenever it is both legal and safe for human rescuers."

Releasing these lions back into the wild is not an option due to the trauma they have suffered and their prolonged time in captivity. However, rescuers believe their new home will provide them with the care they need.

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about animals in Ukraine? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.