RESCUE LION IN LEBANON

Young Male Lion Wandering the Streets

In August, a young lion briefly escaped from a private farm in Labweh, a community in Lebanon’s Baalbek District. News of the escape quickly spread through the surrounding community, eventually becoming rumors that an adult lion was roaming freely through the area.

The lion, believed to be approximately one year old, was quickly recaptured.

But his brief escape brought something far more important to light: a young lion was being privately, and illegally, kept in Lebanon and needed somewhere safe to go.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Agriculture intervened, filing a formal complaint that resulted in the lion being placed under judicial supervision. The farm owner was designated temporary judicial custodian and prohibited from moving the animal while arrangements could be made for his transfer to an appropriate wildlife sanctuary outside Lebanon.

That is where Animals Lebanon – and Heart of the Wild – entered the story.

As soon as Heart of the Wild learned about the young lion, we contacted our partner in the region, Jason Mier of Animals Lebanon, and offered our assistance. Jason shared what was known about the situation, and together we began exploring what it would take to give this lion something he has never had: a true sanctuary home.

Our next call was to Bobbi Brink, founder and director of Lions Tigers & Bears in Alpine, California to see if their sanctuary would be willing to take this beautiful lion to create a forever home there..

The answer was yes.

Located on 142 acres in the mountains of San Diego County, Lions Tigers & Bears is an accredited, no-breed, no-contact sanctuary dedicated to providing lifetime refuge for rescued exotic animals. Since its founding in 2002, the organization has helped rescue and transport more than 1,000 big cats, bears and other exotic animals to reputable sanctuaries across the United States.

Now, if all goes according to plan, a young lion from Lebanon will become one of them.

The wheels are already in motion.

Heart of the Wild, Animals Lebanon and Lions Tigers & Bears are now working together on the export and import permits, veterinary requirements, international documentation and logistics necessary to bring him safely from Lebanon to California.

Heart of the Wild intends to fund the costs associated with his relocation and help coordinate his journey to Lions Tigers & Bears.

There are still permits to obtain, arrangements to make and thousands of miles between this young lion and his future home.

But for the first time, there is a destination at the end of that journey.

A sanctuary. A lifetime of care. And a place to finally call home.