Like most lions and tigers, BenTzur loves to climb up high to check out his surroundings.  Being apex predators, they do not fear sitting out in the open and love views.

Never forget Ori and BenTzur’s journey home from Tel Aviv to Cairo to Frankfurt to Johannesburg and finally the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, with our new fundraising T-shirt and hoodie launched today.

Ori was always the shy, quiet one of the two young lions who arrived at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary from Israel last week. The team from Israel’s Nature & Parks Authority and the zoo that cared for him said that it was thanks to BenTzur, acting as a big brother, that Ori had first started to gain some confidence. During last week’s journey with the ADI team, BenTzur was full of confidence whereas Ori was wary.

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.

The story in 20 pictures. It began on Sunday 2 August shortly after midday, as the young lions walked into the travel crates that would carry them on a two-day journey of a lifetime from Israel to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa.

BenTzur and Ori’s incredible journey and their first steps on African soil at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary.

Johannes and Lefaso from the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa feed newly arrived young lions BenTzur and Ori last night.

BenTzur and Ori, two young lions rescued from the illegal wildlife trade in Israel, have just spent two days in travel crates crossing the world to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa – a journey that saw us stop in Cairo, Egypt, then a 10+hour stopover in Frankfurt, Germany, before an overnight flight to Johannesburg.

This morning BenTzur and Ori were released into their habitat at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary.

BenTzur and Ori have completed their journey home to sanctuary!