A man named Karlos Vémola was discovered illegally keeping a lioness, now called Zora, as a pet in the Czech Republic.
Content he shared online raised concerns about her welfare. The conditions in which she was kept appeared to fall short of the widely accepted standards for responsible big cat care. She also appeared to be severely overweight and had been declawed.
Obesity in captive wildlife is a serious welfare issue, often resulting from inappropriate husbandry practices, and can lead to a range of serious health problems.
While declawing is a cruel procedure that involves amputating the last bone of each digit. It can have devastating consequences, such as nerve damage, arthritis, lameness and abnormal behaviours.
Will you help give suffering animals like Zora a brighter future?
Thankfully, the Czech authorities confiscated Zora and reached out to us for help providing her with a lifelong species-appropriate home.
On 28th July, Zora arrived safely at her new species-appropriate home at our FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary, in the Netherlands. Here she is taking her first steps towards the dignified life she has always deserved.
With your support, we can continue to show more animals like Zora that there is a life without suffering. Thank you!
