SOROCABA SANCTUARY

On April 2009 four lions who worked at a circus were confiscated by Ibama (Brazilian Environment Institute) in a city in the countryside of Pará state, north region of Brazil. The lions were kept in tiny cages, were very thin and in terrible health conditions.

Ibama provide the animals – two males and two females – with the emergency care they needed at the time, but a few weeks later one of the females, called Natasha, did not resist and passed away.

The scenario was Ibama taking care of three mistreated lions with no proper structure conditions. The institute then called GAP Project and asked if Sorocaba Sanctuary, which hosts almost 50 chimpanzees and also lions, tigers and bears who used to be exploited in circus, could receive these animals.

The sanctuary was not fully prepared with adequate enclosures for the felines and asked for a time to prepare everything. Meanwhile Ibama was trying to negotiate air transport to transfer the lions 2,5 thousand kilometers to the south of the country. Traveling by plane would be better for the animals, who were still weak and in need of full care.

Unfortunately Ibama did not managed to arrange air transport and the long way down to the sanctuary had to be made in a truck. The lions left Pará on Saturday, June 27, and after three whole days on the road they finally arrived at the sanctuary. They were starving to death and are still very thin, not to mention the scars and wounds that mark their bodies.

Muphasa, Simba e Sabrina, young survivors of a human terrorism against animals, are relaxing and now can leave in piece. Little by little we are sure that they will get stronger and restore their health. The chimpanzees, their brothers of the forest, host them in good will and now there is no doubt that they are not going to suffer anymore on bad humans’ hands.