After weeks of work on export, import permits and flight arrangements, we finally took off this week with our two (now adolescent) male lions, BenTzur and Ori, from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Like all these victims of the illegal wildlife trade sold as trophy pets, the two boys were taken from their mother early and handed around from person to person as a toy, and for photos. Another pair of victims of the social media trend where people pose with exotic pets for likes, which has led to a huge increase in this cruel, illegal trade.

A growing number of countries have banned this trade, so the cubs were confiscated by Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority in a crackdown on wildlife trafficking, one tied to a tree in a yard, and the other in a basement. They were placed in a local zoo until a permanent home could be found.

As soon as ADI was alerted to BenTzur and Ori’s plight, we offered Nature and Parks Authority, a home at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. It is important to offer support to authorities in this way, to encourage them to take action and seize illegal animals. Weeks of permit applications and processing got underway in South Africa and Israel, and we were feeling encouraged. Then, they became stranded when the war between the US, Israel and Iran closed down all flights.

After months of waiting, we suddenly heard of a cargo flight leaving Tel Aviv and raced to get the lions out. We flew to Israel to escort our precious new residents home to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary.

With very limited numbers of cargo flights leaving Israel, it would be a complicated 50-hour journey to South Africa, with stops in Cairo and Frankfurt. We completed the documentation and made preparations for food and water on their way to a new life.

At 1pm on Sunday 2 August we finished luring the lions into their travel crates and set off to the airport, it was extremely hot in the Israel summer, so moving quickly was important to keep the lions cool. We arrived just after 5pm and BenTzur and Ori were taken to a quiet air-conditioned section of the cargo facility, where we topped up their water and gave them snacks.

We took off at midnight and landed in Cairo at 2am for a 2.5-hour stopover, taking on cargo and for a crew change. Both lions were relaxed, so Tim and I fed them small pieces of meat through a ventilation hole in the crate. We topped up their water trays using a hose pipe attached to a funnel.

We finally took off from Cairo and landed at Frankfurt International Airport, 7.40am on Monday 3 August. Our wait for the next flight would be over 12 hours.

We headed to the Lufthansa Animal Lounge where the lions were placed in their own room. We were able to visit them during the day, ensuring they had plenty of water and giving them snacks, keeping them calm. BenTzur was taking it all in his stride, grabbing his food and playing with the water hose. Ori was subdued. We could tell he was feeling it was time to get out of the crate.

At 10.30pm we took off from Frankfurt, flying through the night and landing in South Africa at 7.30am. The lions were taken into the cargo building to be inspected and for the paperwork checked to allow the lions into the country.

It was now Tuesday 4 August. At 10.05am BenTzur and Ori crossed the airport threshold, entered the land of their ancestors, and became residents of South Africa.

We had a nearly four-hour drive to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. As we passed through the gate, some of the residents roared the arrival of new lion residents.

We unloaded them into their new heated night house. It is winter in South Africa and very cold at night, and they would have had a very hot summer in Israel, so it was important to help them transition. The lions in the next habitats – Rey Ayacucho, Kesari, Coco and Chino, roared the announcement of the new residents.

Ori settled as soon as he saw BenTzur, they rubbed heads and were talkative. It was late, so we gave them a little food and they snuggled down on hay beds after their long, life-changing journey.

By morning, they had slept well, so we let them out into the feeding camp for their first taste of Africa. They reacted to the grass underfoot, but soon explored thoroughly, mapping out the space so they knew where everything was.

They became very confident, and repeatedly looked through the gate into the main enclosure. It was time to inspect their new home!

We let them through into their main enclosure of 2-3 acres, and they systematically walked the space, mapping out where everything was….

They particularly liked the den under the mound we created for Ruben, later used by Muneeb, who has moved to a larger habitat. We found them still there a while later, relaxing and listening to the voices of the other lions, and other ADIWS residents.

Now they are listening and looking at the other lion residents around them, we know, very soon, they will be talking lion and joining the roaring chorus in the morning and evenings.

Thank you to everyone who donated, to give BenTzur and Ori the gift of a new life under African skies, a chance to join the ADIWS super-pride, the opportunity to live with the small local wildlife in their habitat, and as close to freedom as we can get.

Watch the video of their incredible journey and new life.

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