Wildlife park appeals for money to rescue Ukraine lions

The Yorkshire Wildlife Park (YWP) has launched an appeal to rescue three lions from Ukraine.

The wildlife park, in Doncaster, has announced it intends to create a fund to help rescue animals impacted by war, natural disasters, or illegal captivity.

The first rescue mission will be focused on Oleg, and siblings, Rafael and Shanti, who are all currently living in captivity in Ukraine.

The lions would be brought back to the wildlife park in the UK by the YWP's animal welfare charity, the WildLife Foundation.

On the Easy Donate fundraising website, YWP describes how Oleg was rescued as a cub from private owners who fled the Sumy region of Ukraine as the war escalated. Raised by humans, he currently lives alone in a rescue facility due to lack of space.

Siblings Rafael and Shanti were found in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine beside their dying mother, having been abandoned in a private menagerie, YWP said.

According to wildlife specialists, bringing Oleg, Rafael and Shanti to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park would be "transformative" for them.

It marks the continuance of similar work last year. In 2024, the YWP rescued a lioness and her three cubs after they were were abandoned in Ukraine when the war broke out. Donations from the public helped to pay for emergency transport, vet care and rehabilitation.

In March this year it was revealed mating between the mother and one of her sons had led to the birth of three lion cubs.

In 2010, the YWP rescued 13 lions from Romania. The last two lions were euthanised earlier this year because of age-related illnesses.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.