We cannot express how excited we were to receive Ruben’s import permit.

It may be an innocuous looking piece of paper, but it means the world to Ruben. We’re currently arranging his flight, and there are still a good few i’s to be dotted and t’s to be crossed, but the last legal obstacle is cleared.

We’d like to take a moment to refresh your memory about Ruben’s story, and why his coming to the sanctuary is so special.

We learned of Ruben living in a tiny cage in an abandoned, private zoo in Armenia. The businessman owner had passed away and the animals were relocated, all except lonely Ruben. Ruben’s world fell silent and for five long years his plaintive roars have gone unanswered.

​​​​​​​In December, we funded a team to sedate and remove Ruben, taking him through numerous military checkpoints in the Artsakh region to a temporary safe haven in a bear sanctuary run by Armenia’s Foundation for Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC).

ADI has been funding his care at FPWC, including veterinary care under Dr Harut Hovhannisyan in liaison with ADI Wildlife Sanctuary (ADIWS) veterinarian Dr Peter Caldwell.

All those years in isolation have had a profound impact on Ruben’s health. Following a video assessment, Dr Caldwell has concluded that Ruben has neurological damage due to a spine or brain injury, and he has miosis (small pupils). In South Africa he will require a CT scan and dental work.

At ADIWS, a habitat has been designed to meet Ruben’s special needs and aid his recovery – a house with heated floor, an initial habitat of half an acre, opening up to 2.5 acres, even a special platform reached by gentle, grassy slopes with safety guardrails at the top.

And, when Ruben roars, he will certainly hear a chorus of roars back.

Obviously, Ruben cannot just catch the next flight out of Armenia. Many flights do not have a hold door large enough for a lion crate, so we are working to ensure a safe and comfortable journey for this old boy, with arrangements to include where will Ruben wait if there is a delay; how do we give him food and water; what arrangements will there be if we need to change aircraft (as we had with the 17 lions and tigers from Guatemala). Everything is being considered now. We expect the flight will be in the coming weeks and will let you know as soon as we have a date.

This is the final countdown to this elderly, neglected lion stepping out of his transport crate into the golden grasslands of South Africa. Although it is the last weeks of winter/dry season, Ruben will enjoy the daily sun on his back and the company of his own kind. Then he will have spring to enjoy in September.

Unfortunately, delays in issuing the export and import permits have meant food and care costs at FPWC have been three times higher than expected and this has eaten into the funds for his flight and lifetime care at ADIWS, where initial veterinary bills will be substantial.

So, we need your help.

We will never forget seeing Ruben staggering out of his night house in Armenia and giving a plaintive roar, which slowly petered out as there was nobody there to reply.

If you believe this dear old lion deserves a chance of happiness, please donate to our #HelpRubenRoar appeal today. Just imagine what it will feel like when Ruben lifts his great, shaggy head and lets out a roar which, for the first time in six long years, is reciprocated.

​​​​​​​We are finally closing in on his homecoming:

​​​​​​​Please #HelpRubenRoar by donating now. Donate US $ | Donate UK £