PHOTOS: New home in Free State for two lions rescued in Gaza
It's a little over 48-hours since a lion, and lioness were released into a nature reserve in the Free State - following their rescue at a zoo in conflict-ridden Gaza.
Motan and Pisa - named by rescuers, animal welfare group Four Paws South Africa - landed at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
The pair are among 47 animals rescued from a zoo in Rafah, on the Gaza Strip.
Four Paws South Africa's Fiona Miles says living conditions for the wildlife were not ideal.
"The threats that the animals were facing in the zoo where quite diverse due to the consequences in the region and the area where they were kept. Very few visitors were coming to the zoo, so the owner had little possibility to provide enough food for them. They were kept in very small cages and could not get access to veterinary care," she said.
Miles has described the cats' first reactions to their new home - where they will be closely monitored.
The sanctuary is also home to two lions rescued from zoos in Mosul, northern Iraq and outside Aleppo, Syria in 2017.
"They are going to live out the rest of their lives in peace and tranquility under the African sky and have all the best care that they can possibly have."
The remaining 45 have been relocated to partner sanctuaries in Jordan.
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