Thirty lions and tigers began leaving Argentina's shuttered Lujan Zoo on Friday, August 14, in an international rescue that Four Paws described as one of the world's largest relocations of captive big cats. Associated Press reported the operation from Lujan at 22:42 UTC, placing the development within the latest 24-hour news window. The animals had survived for years in cramped concrete cages at the site, about 70 kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires, while their long-term fate remained unresolved.
The group comprises 17 tigers and 13 lions, divided equally between two destinations. Nine tigers and six lions are bound for Lionsrock, the Four Paws sanctuary in South Africa, where more than 80 big cats live in natural enclosures covering 60 hectares. Eight tigers and seven lions will go to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado, northeast of Denver. The Colorado group will travel through Chile, while the South Africa group will fly through Frankfurt or Amsterdam to Johannesburg and then continue by road for four hours.
Argentine authorities closed the zoo in 2020 over safety and animal-welfare concerns after it became known for allowing visitors to touch and pose with lions and tigers. Four Paws program director Luciana D'Abramo told AP that about 200 big cats lived there when it closed, but only 112 remained when the organization first sought a solution in 2023. The total had fallen to 62 by the time Four Paws took responsibility for the site in 2025. Some survivors could barely walk because of obesity, muscle loss or poor nutrition; others had dental or kidney disease, declawing complications or untreated injuries.
Handlers prepared many animals to enter their large transport crates voluntarily, reducing the stress of a complicated air journey. Veterinarians nevertheless sedated some cats, including two tigers moved into crates with canvas slings. Four Paws also retrained longtime zoo employees in modern animal-welfare methods and improved diets and medical care before the transfer. The organization said the operation required careful veterinary, logistical and regulatory coordination across Argentina, the transit countries and both receiving sanctuaries.
The rescue forms part of a wider program agreed by Four Paws and Argentina's government. The national Secretariat of Tourism and Environment confirmed in July that 30 big cats would move to sanctuaries in the United States and South Africa in mid-August. In February, an earlier phase sent two brown bears to a specialized sanctuary in Bulgaria and a tigress to the Netherlands. Four Paws said its memorandum with Argentina also seeks stronger welfare standards and measures against private possession and commercial trade in big cats.
More than 20 lions and tigers will remain at Lujan after this transfer, and Four Paws is searching for permanent homes for them. The departure therefore marks a major step rather than the end of the emergency mission. If the animals complete their journeys as planned, they will move from overcrowded cages into expansive refuge habitats while receiving continued specialist care. Authorities and rescue teams will still need to manage the remaining cats and carry the broader animal-welfare commitments into practice.
Comments