When the boys spot a new object in their feeding camp, they stalk forward with Ori taking the lead, before carrying their prize into their house to play with it.

One of the first things we wanted to achieve with these young lions, who arrived at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa from Israel just last week, was for them to recognise their house as a place of safety. This has two bedrooms, it is where they are fed, given health checks and where they will be cared for and given medication if they are sick or injured. It is winter in South Africa, so it is also where they are shut in at night, with large, deep hay beds to keep them warm during their transition from a hot summer in Israel. They are excited when they have a toy like the catnip sacks to play with, and like to take it into the house to be dismembered.

BenTzur and Ori were confiscated by Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority during a crackdown on the illegal keeping of trafficked wildlife as pets. It is part of the disturbing trend of having ‘trophy’ pets as status symbols, often for social media ‘likes’ and shares.  ADI previously rescued six such lions from Kuwait. These animals suffer terribly from being removed from their mothers when they should still be suckling (forcing them into dependency on their captors) and living in unnatural conditions, with no real life experiences.

To care for BenTzur and Ori and help ADI fight the lion pet trade, donate here: US $, CA $ | UK £, Euros, Rand