It was on 21 November, 2014 in Ukraine. In Kiev’s Maidan Nezalezhnosti was a protest going on. After Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych ousted and the government collapsed, animals living in the government funded zoos faced starvation. Lionel de Lange, who has been living in Ukraine since 2006, was shocked and saddened by the news. Little did the poor animals know that this South African man was a new beginning for them.

 

Lionel de Lange called up his sister in South Africa for advice and she remembered the late Lawrence Anthony, a great South African who had rescued zoo animals in Baghdad during the 2003 Iraq war. Anthony had already passed away however the foundation named after him “Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization” was still operating around the world. After Lionel de Lange contacted the foundation, they didn’t only helped him to rescue the animal but also encouraged him to found the Ukrainian branch of LAEO. And this story is a continuation of what started in 2014 in Ukraine.

Lionel de Lange has been helping to rescue animals in need since then.

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Lioness twins Charlie and Kai (4) and their younger sister Luca (3) were born into captivity in a travelling circus and Nathan joined them over a year ago as a tiny lion cub. As soon as rescued by the Lawrence Anthony team in Ukraine led by Lionel de Lange, the lions were put in a temporary enclosure until a transport solution could be found. The destination was the Kragga Kamma Game Park in South Africa, a coastal forest and grassland expanse where the animals would be able to live freely.

 

The shortest possible flight from Kiev to Johannesburg was a passenger flight with Turkish Airlines. The lions were fitted into a lower deck position in the plane. Istanbul has an animal station that allowed the lions to be fed and watered during the transit period. After a quick stop in Istanbul, the lions took a flight to South Africa by Turkish Cargo.

 

Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization Ukraine posted a thank you note in their facebook page: “Thank you Türk Hava Yolları and Turkish Cargo for helping us to take our lions to Kragga Kamma Game Park, South Africa. Your service was excellent and your care of the animals at Istanbul Ataturk Airport - IST was amazing. The Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization - Ukraine will definitely support and use you again. THANK YOU. And a big thank also goes out to all our donors, even those people that could only a few dollars and those that were only able to help us spread the word. We appreciate all of you.”

 

To promote the work LAEO does and raise awareness to help more animals in need, Turkish Airlines and Turkish Cargo released a video showcasing the lions' journey to South Africa. 

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Share this story and head over to LAEO's facebook page to check out the animals in need.