Lion cubs snuggle on journey to safety from Gaza refugee camp
Lion cubs snuggle on journey to safety from Gaza refugee camp
Hilary Hanson 3 hrs ago The Huffington Post
Two Lion cubs rescued from a ravaged Gaza zoo will be released at a wildlife sanctuary in Jordan in the fall.
A man purchased the brother and sister from the Rafah Zoo earlier this year, according to a press release from Four Paws, the international animal welfare group that facilitated the cubs’ rescue.
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The cubs, now 5 months old, are on their way to that beautiful, safe home.
The Israel Defense Forces demolished the zoo in 2024, and the facility has struggled to recover.
Zoo owner Mohammed Ahmed Juma told Reuters in March that he sold the cubs because the profits would help him feed the remainder of the animals.
Saad Eldeen Al-Jamal, the man who bought the cubs, told Agence France-Presse at the time that the animals were "like members of the family" and loved playing with his children in their home at a refugee camp in Rafah.
Though he had the best of intentions, he soon found he had more than he could handle.
Al-Jamal had trouble affording the huge amount of meat the cubs required, and was considering "leasing" them out to amusement parks, restaurants and resorts for extra cash, AFP reported.
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Additionally, veterinarian Amir Khalil, who led the Four Paws rescue mission, noted the wild animals posed a serious safety threat.
"Both cubs have already grown quite a bit bigger and stronger since their arrival in the refugee camp, and they now represent a significant danger for the inhabitants of the camp," Khalil said in a June statement.
"They should be given a beautiful, safe home — and not be sold on to another zoo in the area!" he said.
The cubs, now 5 months old, are on their way to that beautiful, safe home. Al-Jamal ultimately agreed to turn the animals over to the Four Paws team, which brought the cubs to a temporary outdoor enclosure in Jordan on Sunday evening.
In the fall, the cubs will travel to their permanent home at Al Ma’Wa for Nature and Wildlife, a Jordan wildlife sanctuary.
Al-Jamal and his family had previously called the Lion siblings "Alex" and "Mona," but Four Paws workers changed their names to "Salam" and "Shalom" to symbolize a hope for peace in the region.
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The cubs are now undergoing veterinary exams at their temporary home.
Both cubs were afflicted with a skin disease, while the female cub has swelling on the back of her head that vets suspect was caused by a stroke, according to the release.
Khalil said the cubs took the whole situation in stride, cuddling together for most of the journey.
"They didn’t really realize the whole turmoil evolving around them," he said.