Two young lionesses from Ukraine arrived at the Nature Aid Centre (Natuurhulpcentrum) in Limburg on Tuesday as a "Valentine's Day gift" for two male lion twins, who were brought to Belgium from Ukraine under similar circumstances last year.
"It seems that the two lionesses were brought to Belgium especially for [male twins] Tsar and Jamil, on Valentine's Day," Nature Aid Centre employee Sil Janssen told VRT.
The two lionesses, Luna and Plusha, had been confiscated from private owners by the Ukrainian authorities shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February last year. They were subsequently evacuated to a zoo in western Poland, from where they were transported to Belgium by Nature Aid Centre employees.
But Janssen downplayed the romantic significance of the young lionesses' arrival: "The lionesses will be in separate cages, although the lions may be able to smell or hear each other. It is certainly not the intention to breed them with each other."
He added that both Luna and Plusha are "doing well" and had a "quiet night" on Tuesday. He also noted that neither will be quarantined as they have both received all the required vaccinations.
An unbearable situation
In a separate interview with Het Belang van Limburg, Janssen recounted the extent to which Western animal shelters and zoos are finding it increasingly difficult to accommodate animals caught in the war in Ukraine.
"The situation in the Ukrainian zoos and shelters is becoming unsustainable," Janssen explained. "They can't take care of their animals anymore. That is why they seek shelter abroad... Every day the list of animals that need to be taken care of grows longer. Everyone does what they can. But the places are limited and the demand is very high."
Many of the animals fleeing Ukraine end up at Poznan Zoo, in western Poland: a place described as "a kind of shipment point" by Frederik Thoelen, a biologist at the Nature Aid Centre.
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"From there, the animals leave for all corners of Europe," Thoelen explained. "There are hundreds of animals. And it's not just from zoos: in Ukraine it is a trend to bring certain predators into the house illegally. Wolves, lions, caracals... the Ukrainian authorities find them all, even in apartments."
Thoelen added that around 20 animals from Ukraine have so far been put up in the Nature Aid Centre — and that its employees are currently doing their utmost to accommodate more.
"[We've received] lions, bears, caracals, lynxes and now two lionesses," said Thoelen. "It doesn't stop. We're going to see how much space these two ladies need and then we'll see if we can accommodate two more lion cubs. The requests for shelter don't stop."
