Since June 1, 2023, growls have escaped from a vast enclosure of 2,000 square meters, drowned in the Mayenne greenery. It is here that Magnolia and Uvalisa have finally found a haven of peace after being exfiltrated from Ukraine at the end of an odyssey worthy of an adventure novel.
In March 2022, as the first bombs rained down on Kiev, the two tigresses left wandering were recovered by the Reas, the European Network of Shelters and Sanctuaries which fights against animal trafficking. From the outset, they are integrated into a convoy of animals to get out of the local chaos but, in this context, crossing the borders is already as difficult as it is dangerous.
Also, this large-scale operation required unprecedented logistics. “It was an extraordinary rescue for us,” confirms Jean-Marie Mulon, director of L’Arche. Obviously, in all conflicts, we first think of the men, women and children who are innocent victims, but we quickly also alerted to the animal condition and all the State services were mobilized, in particular the Ministry of Ecological Transition. , because it was first necessary to obtain the identification and health documents. There is a fairly large list and there, it was a complete mess because you can imagine that in times of war, the priority there was not to take blood samples from animals. As we needed to fill in all these forms, we worked a great deal remotely with the Poznan zoo in this respect and, on arrival here, we were able to carry out other examinations to be certain of the good health of the tigresses. »
But the bill is still high on a daily basis because it is now necessary to take care of these females who, although two years old, are already large in size. Over the year, the bill can quickly reach 15,000 euros! In fact, in addition to expensive veterinary care (sterilization, vaccines, etc.), food is added, at the rate of 25 kg of meat per week, or a thousand euros per month for the duo…
Despite this, the Ark, where more than a thousand animals are currently sheltered, continues its mission. Thus, by the end of the year, roars should be heard this time since a new file is being prepared to save and welcome a lioness from a zoo in Kiev. Once again, donations are welcome.
