Rescued lions freed: Five lions walk into Colorado sunshine

LOS ANGELES, May 13, 2011 - The lions rescued by Animal Defenders International (ADI) will be freed into the second of four massive natural enclosures being built on 80 acres at The Wild Animal Sanctuary near Denver, Colorado. The lions saved from three different circuses in Bolivia highlight another landmark in the rehabilitation of the lions which is to build the once abused lions back into family prides.

For Tim Phillips, Vice President of ADI, it will be an especially moving moment as he led the team that removed two of the lions, Pancho and Temuco, from the circus on the very first day of seizure operations in Bolivia last November. That day, the lions were in a tiny rusting cage on wheels. Tomorrow they step out into acres of natural habitat.

During November and December, ADI and the Bolivian authorities raided eight circuses across Bolivia removing all animals to enforce a ban on animal circuses. In February, 25 lions were flown to Denver in the biggest ever airlift of its kind. A special biosphere was constructed with grass and trees for the lions to acclimatise to the change of climate from Bolivia.

The rescue is proving a huge landmark in the way an entire country saw the use of circus animals eradicated which was followed by a massive relocation of 25 lions to a sanctuary that established them into new family groups, and provided them with a life as close to nature as possible.

The first group of lions, a family of eight, was released to the outdoors four weeks ago and today five more lions – Pancho, Temuco, Chitara, Dalila, and Kenya - step into freedom.