Liftoff for the Kuwait 6 is almost upon us and we have been preparing all week in Kuwait.

Our veterinarian Dr. Peter Caldwell has arrived and checked the lions; we are ready to begin loading them into their travel crates at 2am on Sunday (May 19). They will be sedated, loaded, brought around again, checked, and driven to the airport. Our Qatar Airways Cargo aircraft (donated as part of their WeQare program) takes off at 1pm.

Jan, Tim, and Peter will be with the lions throughout the flight, providing snacks, water, and ensuring there are no problems. They will arrive in South Africa at midnight. The lions should be stepping onto African soil for the first time in their lives at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, after daybreak on May 20 (in quarantine). We will be posting live on social media throughout the operation.

Illegally purchased as ‘trophy pets’, the six young lions, Muheeb, Saham, Shujaa, Saif, Dhubiya, and Aziza, had been dumped when they were no longer wanted – discarded like a fashion accessory of which the owner had become bored.

Saif and Dhubiya were small cubs when they were abandoned to die in the desert. Found starving and dehydrated, they were nursed back to health at Kuwait Zoo. Volunteers and staff at the zoo have looked after the lions until a home could be found. Some of the rescued lions had been released to run free in the city streets, or left tied to lampposts, while others were seized by Kuwait officials fighting the illegal wildlife trade.

This is an important rescue. It will transform the lives of six lions and will put a spotlight on a cruel, global trade, being fueled by social media. Tiny babies are stolen from their mothers when they look cute, forcing them into a life of loneliness and dependency on their captor for food and affection. The traffickers smuggle animals in suitcases where many die, and once sold, they are destined for an unnatural life caged or chained.

Tragically, social media all over the world is awash with irresponsible posts featuring people petting and ‘playing’ with big cats. Big cats should never be pets. Lions can live for over 20 years and quickly become powerful, expensive to feed, and when just expressing themselves naturally, they are dangerous to humans. Each of the Kuwait 6 were dumped before even reaching adulthood.

A huge thank you to everyone who has been supporting this rescue. In addition to preparing the sanctuary with adaptations to habitats, the big cost we face is the care of these animals for life. Can you help us care for these six youngsters about to start their new lives at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary? Please donate here.

You can also support their care with an adoption for Aziza, Dhubiya, Muheeb, Saham, Saif, or Shjuaa from our UK or US stores.

Now, let’s bring them home!