Ruben gets his roar back!

Lonely lion fell silent for years in abandoned zoo

FOR five years, Ruben the lion’s roars went unanswered as the last animal in an abandoned zoo.

So scarred was the 15-yearold by solitary confinement in a tiny cage, he fell silent. But now Ruben is learning to roar again with the help of the British animal charity which rescued him.

Jan Creamer, of Animal Defenders International, said the zoo on the Armenian-Azerbaijan border had been owned by a Russian oligarch. After he died all the other animals were rescued. ‘Sadly, there was no room for Ruben,’ she said. ‘Lions live in family groups and roaring is chatting to them. ‘He is still trying to roar. Ruben has never felt the sun on his back or the wind in his face.’ Now he will soon find a home at a sanctuary in South Africa where, his rescuers hope, he will roar again.

Sweet freedom: Ruben is starting to use his voice again

Rescue: The lion is moved to safety from his cramped cage