Lionsrock / Four Paws
Two lions have been transferred from the Seaview Predator Park in Gqeberha to their new home in Bethlehem in the eastern Free State.
They will now reside at Lionsrock, a sanctuary of the global animal welfare organisation, Four Paws.
Site Manager, Hildegard Pirker says before the long journey to their new home, Samson and Tom were sedated and examined by an on-site veterinarian and loaded into separate transport crates.
She says they have saved more than 100 big cats from zoos, circuses, breeding facilities, and other places worldwide.
Pirker says for many years, the country allowed lions to be bred and kept in captivity unregulated.
She said Samson and Tom were just two of an estimated 12 000 lions being held in captivity in private facilities across the country.
