Two rescued lionesses traveled from Belgium’s Natuurhulpcentrum wild animal rescue and rehabilitation center to their new home in South Africa by way of London’s Heathrow Airport on Jan. 20. The big cats, named Maggie and Sonja, made history by becoming the first lions to travel by Eurostar rail, before boarding the inaugural Kenya Airways 787 Dreamliner flight to Johannesburg via Nairobi.
At Heathrow, singer and TV star Peter Andre, bid the lions farewell on their 6,000-mile journey. Andre is a patron of Born Free, an international wildlife charity that rescues animals from life in cages and helped arrange the special 787 flight. The two cats had been living in appalling conditions in captivity before they were rescued by officials in Germany.
Katrina Hanson, cargo manager at Kenya Airways, said the airline was thrilled to carry the big cats home. After landing in Johannesburg Jan. 21, Maggie and Sonja were taken by road to their new home at the award-winning Shamwari Game Reserve in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Once released at the open-air sanctuary, they were able to see and smell their homeland for the first time.
Born Free’s big cat expert Tony Wiles, who was present every step of the way, said the cats were already exploring the enclosure’s natural features and basking in the southern hemisphere sun.
Two rescued lionesses traveled from Belgium’s Natuurhulpcentrum wild animal rescue and rehabilitation center to their new home in South Africa by way of London’s Heathrow Airport on Jan. 20. The big cats, named Maggie and Sonja, made history by becoming the first lions to travel by Eurostar rail, before boarding the inaugural Kenya Airways 787 Dreamliner flight to Johannesburg via Nairobi.
At Heathrow, singer and TV star Peter Andre, bid the lions farewell on their 6,000-mile journey. Andre is a patron of Born Free, an international wildlife charity that rescues animals from life in cages and helped arrange the special 787 flight. The two cats had been living in appalling conditions in captivity before they were rescued by officials in Germany.
Katrina Hanson, cargo manager at Kenya Airways, said the airline was thrilled to carry the big cats home. After landing in Johannesburg Jan. 21, Maggie and Sonja were taken by road to their new home at the award-winning Shamwari Game Reserve in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Once released at the open-air sanctuary, they were able to see and smell their homeland for the first time.
Born Free’s big cat expert Tony Wiles, who was present every step of the way, said the cats were already exploring the enclosure’s natural features and basking in the southern hemisphere sun.