It’s been a roaring good week at Legend Golf & Safari Resort as two new predators were welcomed on to Africa’s most exciting new development.
Not that the two cute balls of white fur look anything like the deadly big cats they will eventually grow into.

These adorable white lion cubs have taken up residence at the resort’s pioneering Legend Wildlife and Cultural Centre. And all eyes – cats and human – are on these rare big cats as they settle into their new home under the watchful eye of project manager Arrie Van Deventer.

The introduction of the 10-week-old male and female cubs takes Van Deventer one step closer to realising his dream of introducing the white lion gene on to the resort at the Big Five Entabeni Safari Conservancy in the Limpopo Province and, ultimately, into the wild.

There are currently five lions at the Predator Centre, including three orphaned white lions.

Van Deventer said: “I’m very excited to have more white lions at the centre and continue my work towards returning these majestic creatures back to the wild so they can roam with the dignity they deserve.

“These first few weeks are particularly important as the cubs get used to their new surroundings. For myself, I want to have a strong relationship with them so I’m spending four to five hours a day with them to allow them to get to know me. Already the male is quite happy to come to me and allow me to stroke him. The female’s still quite skittish, but then she’s had little human contact. But I know though that within a couple of weeks she won’t be recognisable from the spirited young lady she is now and she’ll be much more comfortable.

“I’m secretly hoping that I will be able to take them out for “walks” with me, just like I used to do with the last lion I hand-raised – Mapimpan – before he moved on to the teenage enclosure to be paired with one of our white lionesses in the breeding programme.”

The new additions will stay in the Wildlife and Cultural Centre’s cub enclosure for the next couple of months. They will then move to an innovative “lion island”: a deep, dry moat dug around an expansive piece of land which allows the lions to roam without the threat of territorial retribution or violent male dominance from the Big Five reserve’s current wild pride.

Yorkshire Airline To Rescue 13 Lions From Run-Down Romanian Zoo

Friendly low fare airline, jet2.com has pledged to fly a pride of neglected lions from a Romanian zoo to Yorkshire free of charge this February as part of what is planned to be the biggest ever big cat rescue to date.

jet2.com has joined forces with Yorkshire Wildlife Park, who is leading the mission, to charter a one-off flight to rescue a pride of 13 lions which are being held in cramped conditions, facing an uncertain future at Oradea Zoo, Romania.

Under the supervision of leading wildlife veterinarians, the big cats, which range in age from one to 27 years old, will be flown to Doncaster Robin Hood Airport and re-housed at a specially built 10-acre enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Doncaster.

Philip Meeson, Boss of jet2.com said,

“When we heard about the plight of the lions at the Romanian zoo, we immediately offered to provide a jet2.com charter aircraft and the support of our highly trained staff free of charge to transport the big cats to their new home near Doncaster this February.”

“As Yorkshire’s leading leisure airline, it’s a great honour to be involved in what is looking to be one of the biggest ever cat rescues. We are working closely with the wildlife park to ensure the campaign runs as smoothly as possible so that these majestic animals will soon, quite literally, be the pride of Yorkshire.”

Cheryl Williams, Director of Yorkshire Wildlife Park said,

“This is a huge project for the Park and we are extremely grateful to jet2.com for chartering a flight specifically for these magnificent creatures that desperately need our help.

“Without jet2.com’s generosity, we would now be facing a long and arduous journey by road which would have been particularly treacherous with temperatures now dropping to minus 20 throughout central Europe. We just can’t thank them enough.”

John Minion, Animal Director at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, commented on his visit to Oradea Zoo,

“The zoo is in a very poor state of repair, with lack of money for even food for the animals. The Romanian zoo now must now abide to European legislation; therefore these issues are now being addressed, which is why we have planned this mission.”

“Despite the dreadful living conditions, their spirit was still very evident as seen by one of the lionesses who came over to greet us, purring like a family cat. Some of them had health problems that veterinary care, good diet, exercise and appropriate housing will help greatly.”

Yorkshire Wildlife Park who has raised over £120,000 for the welfare mission, but is still in need of another £30,000 to pay for veterinary care, building a lion house, transportation costs and creating the reserve for the big cats. Further donations can be made at www.lionrescue.co.uk