Thirty big cats relocated from Argentine zoo to international sanctuaries

Thirty lions and tigers rescued from the former Luján Zoo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, have been relocated to sanctuaries in South Africa and the United States. The operation, coordinated by Four Paws International, follows the closure of the Luján facility in 2020 due to irregularities and lack of proper permits.

The animals were divided into two groups of 15. One group arrived at the Lionsrock Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa, while the second group was received by The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado, USA. In Colorado, the felids were placed in enclosures ranging from 1,450 to 10,000 hectares.

The relocation marks the beginning of a gradual rehabilitation process. The goal is to allow the animals to adapt to their new environments, recover natural behaviors, and eventually interact with other big cats in large, open-air habitats.