Global animal welfare organisation, Four Paws, has rescued an eight-year-old lion named Diego from inappropriate keeping in a Slovakian big cat facility.
On November 6, the male lion arrived safely at Felida Big Cat Sanctuary in the northern Netherlands. Four Paws runs the sanctuary, which specialises in the care of traumatised big cats.
Diego has shown clear signs of a traumatic past and will now get the chance to recover.
Ariane Aquilina, Wild Animal Project and Advocacy manager, led Diego’s rescue.
Slovakia | 2024 11 05 | Transfer of lion Diego from his keeping in Slovakia to FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary, The Netherlands.
She told Rekord Diego has been at Felida for a couple of days.
“Upon his arrival, he was fatigued from the long journey and needed a good long sleep. You can tell that he has experienced lots of trauma in his past. He is very fearful of people, so the first step will be to build trust with his new caretakers. We are proud of him that he already has made progress. He will also be taught important commands, so that he comes to be fed or administered medication, for example,” explained Aquilina.
Felida has a link with the South African chapter of Four Paws which has a similar Big Cat Sanctuary at Lionsrock near Bethlehem in the Free State.
More than 20 big cats have been transferred from Felida Big Cat Sanctuary to Lionsrock. A total of 13 of them are still alive – eight lions, four tigers and one leopard.
At present, there are 97 big cats (76 lions, 18 tigers and three leopards), one hyena and one cheetah at Lionsrock Big Cat Sanctuary.
Aquilina explained Diego needs to learn how to be a lion again and their professional team was there to support him every step along the way.
“Let’s not forget, Diego has spent his entire life mostly alone in private keeping. He is a very social animal and we will try to socialise him with one of the lionesses once he has settled in. We know from experience that lions really benefit from living together also in captivity, so hopefully our efforts to introduce him to other lions will be successful. We are already seeing progress and are very happy to watch Diego start his new life.”
2024 09 27 – Lion Diego, Facility: Oasis Siberian Tiger.
Diego was born in 2016 in Czechia, where his first owner wanted to sell him to be hunted and killed for sport.
An animal activist privately acquired Diego to save him from the cruel fate of ending up as a trophy on a wall.
Due to a lack of other options, she took him to a private tiger facility near Bratislava in 2018, where he was kept alone in a small enclosure without any means to live out natural behaviours. The facility is not appropriate for keeping big cats and has no professionally trained staff.
To Aquilina two of the biggest challenges in rescuing Diego were the welfare of the animal being transported and, of course, the safety of their team.
“Our team consists of experts, who have a longstanding expertise in rescuing animals from bad keeping conditions. For the rescue of Diego, we had a wildlife veterinarian accompany him from Slovakia to the Netherlands to regularly monitor his health during the transport. This is especially important, as big cats from private keeping often suffer from serious health conditions,” pointed out Aquilina.
She confirmed Diego seems to be in relatively good shape for now.
“He is a bit overweight and during his check, we found broken canines that will be treated later. Given his past, it is very likely that he will develop long-term health consequences in future. In Felida he will be in the best hands, as they are specialised in the care of traumatised big cats.”
Slovakia | 2024 11 05 | Transfer of lion Diego from his keeping in Slovakia to FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary, The Netherlands.
She told Rekord for organising the rescue, they had to be particularly careful when communicating with the owner of the Slovakian facility where he was kept to ensure his co-operation.
The plight of Diego is one of many similar stories that will be told in the new documentary film, Dethroned.
Fiona Miles, director at Four Paws South Africa, said with the film Four Paws aims to inspire a shift in public awareness and responsibility toward big cats.
She stated that the documentary calls for a global shift in how humans view and protect these majestic animals.
“It asks all of us to not only consider our own relationship with big cats but also to contemplate what becomes of humanity if we continue to destroy all that is sacred.
“We hope audiences leave with a new understanding and what happens behind the scenes and the conviction to support efforts that protect big cats, rather than exploit them. These animals belong in the wild, not in cages or as props, and the more aware we are of this, the closer we come to ending these harmful practices.”
The message of Dethroned is clear: real change begins with awareness.
To Miles, one of the most striking aspects of the film was witnessing the way these majestic animals, symbols of strength and freedom, are often reduced to mere commodities.
“In several countries, we saw big cats confined to cramped, unnatural conditions, deprived of their basic needs and behaviours. The experience was overwhelming, emphasising just how far-reaching and normalised the exploitation of big cats has become across the globe,” noted Miles.
South Africa is a significant hub for commercial exploitation, and legal and illegal trade of big cat species, where thousands of big cats, including lions and tigers, are bred and raised in confinement for human entertainment, profit and consumption.
The country is also the largest exporter of big cats worldwide to Asia, where there is demand for big cat parts being used for traditional medicine or turned into luxury products.
According to Miles, the impacts of this exploitation and the scale of the industry are devastating, not only for the individual animals but also for the nation’s reputation in wildlife conservation.
Through Dethroned, the animal welfare organisation is calling for an end to the commercial trade of all big cats in South Africa, urging both the public and policymakers to support stronger protection for big cats and advocate for a future where these magnificent animals can live freely in their natural environments.
– The upcoming documentary will be exclusively streamed online on November 26 at 20:00. To join the conversation, register for FREE here. A streaming link will be shared via email one day before the event. Viewers can look forward to a live Q&A session with the cast and crew after the screening.
– WATCH the conditions Diego used to be in: https://www.facebook.com/FELIDA.BigCatSanctuary/videos/1098789338502165
– More about Dethroned: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1259684578817847
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