Around the year 2005, local police in the northern province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina, received a call about a group of big cats held in horrible living conditions belonging to a traveling circus.
During the raid, officials were shocked when they found a large number of tigers and lions in an extremely malnourished state. They were locked up in different compartments in smelly circus wagons, dirty and with flies everywhere.

The state vets feared for their lives, especially when it concerned the lion cubs. Authorities ordered an immediate removal and ordered the cats to be brought to the local Municipal Zoo. They expected the cubs would not make it. But thanks to Zoo´s caretakers doing everything within their reach, the health situation of most of them improved. However, the Zoo closed down and an urgent home had to be found for these Cats.

On Friday 16 March, 2019 after a grueling 80 hour flight Melena and Tika set paws on South African soil, on the final leg to their new permanent loving home at Ubuntu Wildlife Sanctuary NPC. Their relocation was achieved through amazing collaboration between authorities in Santiago del Estero, in particular the Mayor Norma Fuentes, and the Ubuntu team.

His food need be prepared in a very specific way by the Ubuntu “slaves” and he always roars first and last, he loves to scare new team members with a jump and roar at the fence. And we can see the mischievous look in his eyes when he gave the stupid “hooman slaves” the fright of their lives!! What an inspiring turn around and a massive privilege to share our lives with this beautiful lion…Melena