Two young lions rescued from the illegal wildlife trade in Israel have been relocated to the Animal Defenders International (ADI) Wildlife Sanctuary in the Free State after a two-day journey to South Africa.
BenTzur and Ori travelled from Israel, with stops in Cairo and Frankfurt before arriving in Johannesburg earlier this month.
The lions were seized as cubs more than a year ago by Israel’s Nature & Parks Authority during a crackdown on illegal wildlife trafficking but spent months stranded due to the conflict in the Middle East.
After arriving at the sanctuary in the Free State, the lions were released into their new habitat. The pair spent the day exploring their new surroundings and mapping their territory. They also met their new neighbours before settling into one of the habitat’s dens.
Watch their journey below:
