Saving Lions in the Midst of War

Wartime Heroes come in all sizes. Do all sorts of things.

Today’s story is about people working in the midst of war to save those who need saving.

That’s good.

But before we get to it:

Natalia Popova, 50, is director of the Wild Animals Rescue Center of Kiev in the Ukraine. This charity/facility has quite a mission:

We save wild animals from war and victims of human activities. We return them to nature, and if it is impossible to release them, we find good places to keep them in captivity, including abroad.

Since the war started in her country Natalia has had pretty much a singular mission. “Dealing with the consequences of human activities.”

Natalia Popova (Photo Courtesy of The Washington Post)

Natalia Popova saves animals.

The animals, domestic and not, are not what comes to mind when we think about the war in Ukraine. They are the victims, though. House animals, like dogs and cats are constantly on the frontline, often left behind by fleeing residents. If cared for, it is by soldiers or volunteers. There are larger animals. Found in the wild, or in odd forms of home life. Late last year, Popova was brought in to evacuate four servals from a private home in the front-line town of Kurakhove. There were originally six, but two cats died in shelling. Despite showing signs of severe stress (pacing, loss of hair, lack of appetite) they are slowly growing back their fur.

But this bit of good news is named Yuna. Yuna is a lioness who was found on the residential property of a wealthy Ukrainian family (that’s probably a story in and of itself.) There were two young abandoned lions in a small enclosure on their property. Originally under the care of house staff, soon they were alone and with nothing but rotten meat to eat. Beyond this, the lions’ paws were frostbitten, their bodies thin and sick, they were constantly concussed by rocket . Yuna, was also emotionally traumatized by her brother, Atlas.

Yuna while at the Wild Animals Rescue Center (Photo courtesy of The Washington Post)

Yuma was medicated, rehabilitated and nourished back to care (enough to growl) under Popova’s care. Then she was relocated to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England in an operation that took 30 hours. At first, Yuna chose to spend her time in the 32-acre facility sleeping on straw.

“Yuna’s confidence grows day by day, and it’s truly moving to see. After more than two and a half years since the war, Yuna had her first opportunity to step outside,” Cam Whitnall, Project Lead at Big Cat Sanctuary.

And step outside she did, as captured in this lovely video:

As Sherman said, “War is all hell” but still despite the horrors of it, there is still noble actions and good actors.