Rescued circus lions on their way to Scots zoo

Public appeal raises £150k for new enclosure

FOUR lions rescued from a cir- cus yesterday began the journey to their new permanent home i n Scotland after an appeal raised £150,000 to build them a special enclosure.

The animals had been cared for at a sanctuary in Belgium following their confiscation from a French circus in May last year.

Belgian law prohibits the use of wild animals in circuses.

The males – thought to have been born in captivity and sold to the circus at a young age – were seized i n their trailer and found to be in general good health, despite living in appalling and cramped conditions.

They were without their manes, as a result of being castrated, and had had their front claws removed, which is a common practice in circuses.

Five Sisters Zoo in West Calder, West Lothian, raised the six-figure sum to house them after an appeal to build a two-acre enclosure for the male lions.

Yesterday, the owners were in Belgium to begin the process of transporting them home.

A spokesman for the zoo said: ‘We are delighted to confirm that today, the lions will start their journey to Scotland to their new life with us at the Five Sisters Zoo.

‘We would ask for your patience and understanding that our priority is getting them quickly, safely and quietly into their new enclosure and therefore no members of the public or even zoo staff other than those directly helping with the transfer will be allowed access as they arrive during the early hours of Monday.’

She added: ‘We will keep you posted and hope to have the first images for you very soon. A massive thank you to everyone for their help and support for making this possible.’

The zoo had confirmed over the weekend that philanthropic millionaire Garreth Wood and his wife, former Miss Scotland Nicola Jolly, had donated £10,000 to the appeal, boosting its total following a year of fundraising.

The circus was performing in the southern Belgian city of Liège when government officials acted, seizing the trailer and taking the lions to the safety of a rescue centre.

Five Sisters Zoo, which was hit by a fire in 2013, has already successfully rehomed three former circus bears after launching an appeal in August 2011.

Two years ago, the devastating blaze claimed the lives of many of the zoo’s animals after fire took hold in the tropical house.

Zoo officials described the public response in the aftermath of the fire as ‘totally overwhelming’ and following the blaze they set up a fund to accept donations from members of the public.

It has now constructed a large outdoor area for the lions with rocks, a waterfall, pool and platform areas and a large heated indoor den.

Zoo owners Brian and Shirley Curran said they were extremely grateful to people who donated to its appeal.

They added: ‘ This has been an amazing and challenging journey but we are extremely proud to have accomplished everything we set out to do and are forever grateful for the huge support from both near and far of the thousands of supporters who have helped make this possible.’

In March 2012, three bears who had spent 20 years in a circus being transported around Europe in cages little bigger than themselves also found a new home at the zoo.

Carmen, Suzy and Peggy were rescued in Belgium following an £80,000 campaign to build them an enclosure.

The non-profit making zoo received donations from fundraisers and local businesses. Celebrities including Joanna Lumley, Chantelle Houghton, Josie Gibson and Sky Sports presenter Kirsty Gallacher all backed the campaign.

News of the Five Sisters lions’ impending arrival was greeted with delight by campaign followers.

On the zoo’s Facebook page, Joyce McLaren said: ‘ What fantastic news after so much hard work. Thank you Five Sisters Zoo for all you have done for the lions, I hope they have a safe journey to their new home and the public do as you have asked them to.’

Hazel Erskine wrote: ‘So so happy for these majestic beasts and for Five Sisters of course, wishing the lions a long a happy life in their new home.’

‘This has been an amazing journey’