33 rescued lions arrive in South Africa in airlift

[Judi Lynn]

9. Rescued lions roar into South Africa after flight from Peru

Rescued lions roar into South Africa after flight from Peru
By AFP 4 hours ago .

The roaring of 33 lions rescued from circuses in Peru and Colombia echoed through Johannesburg's international airport Saturday after they arrived in their ancestral homeland for the first time.

The lions appeared healthy but a little distressed by the long journey, Jan Creamer, the president of Animal Defenders International (ADI), an animal rights charity that organised the flight, told reporters.

"They have lived a life of absolute hell. They've been beaten and they've been starved. They've been deprived of everything that makes life worth living for a lion. "I believe we have brought them back to paradise, where they belong," she said.

After flying for more than 15 hours the lions were loaded onto two huge trucks which were due to drive through the night to their new home at the 5,000 hectare Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in the north of the country. At around dawn they will be freed into large natural enclosures in the African bush.

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