In my opinion it was the rescue of the African Lions from the poor squalid conditions which they were living in at the Oradea Zoo in Romania in 2010 that put the Yorkshire Wildlife Park firmly on the map for animal welfare and reform.

The pride of lions at Yorkshire Wildlife Park were rehomed from Oradea Zoo in Romania where due to lack of funds and expertise they were kept in very poor conditions. At the time, Lion Rescue was the largest big cat rescue in Europe. They now live happily, roaming their seven acre reserve at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

In Romania, the lions were living in filthy concrete pens, fed on a meagre diet of scraps and faced an uncertain future. The new director, Diaina Ghender, realised that the zoo could not care for them and contacted YWP to see if they could rehome the lions.

At the time, YWP was a new park and did not have the funds to rehome and care for the lions but with the help of the News of the World launched a massive campaign `Lion Rescue’. The public rallied for the cause and raised £150,000 which helped bring the lions back to Yorkshire. A team of big cat experts from zoos around the UK travelled to Romania to help load the 13 lions.  

The lions arrived in February 2010 – Jet2.com donated the use of a plane and with special permission, they were allowed to land at Doncaster Airport. The pilot began his descent from Amsterdam in order to mitigate the effect of the pressure on the lions’ ears! The world’s media was watching and the lions became world famous overnight.

The 13 lions included two cubs, Dani and Simba who were then aged just eight months old, and Jonny Senior who was 27 years old. All the lions rediscovered their health and have been a favourite with visitors here at YWP in the purpose built Lion Country. Nine years on there are 7 lions in Lion Country: Simba, Maria, Carla, Crystal, Julie, Allis and Ares.