09 June 2023 – On 7 June, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS successfully transferred young lioness Vasylyna from her temporary home near Kyiv to its FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary in the Netherlands as war still holds a firm grip on the Ukrainian capital.

The now nearly two-year-old big cat was first brought to BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr where she then was prepared for the rest of the journey, accompanied by a veterinarian throughout the near 2,000 km trip. Given the stressful circumstances, she is in good condition and will now receive the care she needs to recover and live a species-appropriate life.

Vasylyna was captured in August 2022, after roaming the streets of the war-torn village Vysoke in Kharkiv region in Ukraine, where she had previously escaped from a private keeping. Local rescue centre Wild Animal Rescue took her in until a permanent solution could be found. The legal situation in Ukraine forbids the private keeping of wild animals for “entertainment and leisure purposes”.

In the afternoon of 7 June, the transfer team together with Vasylyna arrived safe and sound at FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary, a 2-hour-drive North-East of Amsterdam. As soon as the door of the transport crate was opened, the lioness walked out in a very calm way. As a first step, Vasylyna was released into a specially equipped enclosure with adjustable platforms and a centralized heating system. Here she will get the time to acclimatise throughout the next days, while at the same time having access to her new and more spacious outdoor enclosure.

“Now, we are planning to offer Vasylyna an additional comfort and enrichment that we hope will contribute to her wellbeing. When she is ready, the team will introduce her to young lion Nikola, who lives in FELIDA since June 2022 and shares a similar history with Vasylyna: he also escaped from illegal private keeping, but in Montenegro. If everything goes well, the two brave partners in crime can grow up and live together. This is particularly important for social animals like lions.”

Vasylyna´s story

On 11 August 2022, a female lion cub was reported to roam the streets of the war-torn village Vysoke in Kharkiv region, Northeast of Ukraine. She had escaped from private keeping in a house. The respective authorities quickly found the owner and managed to convince him to give up the animal. The lioness was captured by the founder of Wild Animal Rescue and transferred to the wild animal rescue station in Chubynske near Kyiv as a temporary solution. The rescue centre was not able to provide a permanent place for the lioness. The impact of the war added a lot of pressure on the lioness´s welfare and so the organisations worked to find a quick solution for Vasylyna.

Dutch sanctuary for traumatised big cats 

FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary in the Netherlands is one of multiple FOUR PAWS sanctuaries worldwide for rescued wild animals. It functions as a special care facility for physically and mentally traumatised big cats. The big cats that recover from the hardships of their past can be transferred to LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa. Animals that need lifelong intensive and special care, stay at FELIDA.  Including Vasylyna, five rescued lions and one tiger are currently living at the sanctuary.