Incredible news – this week ADI has secured a flight out of Israel for 18-month old lions BenTzur (pictured) and Ori who have been stranded due to the war in the middle east.

The cubs had been stolen from their mother when they should have been suckling and were passed from person to person as ‘trophy pets’ (fashion accessories and status symbols). Ori was found in a basement and BenTzur was tied to a tree when, over a year ago, they were seized by Israel’s Nature & Parks Authority (NPA), in a crackdown on illegally trafficked animals. Since then, a local zoo has provided temporary accommodation.

Now, an ADI team will arrive in Israel on 30 July. We will be loading the lions on Sunday 2 August, before flying to Frankfurt, where we will change aircraft for Johannesburg. We will arrive in South Africa on Tuesday 4 August. Follow us for live updates throughout.

The war has sent costs spiraling, with high fuel cost and very limited availability of flights. We re-built a habitat to suit them, with a new night house with heated floor, and extra provision for the change from Israel heat to South Africa winter. Now we must also raise funds for their lifetime care.

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