Two leopards who were forced to live in horrendous conditions at an illegal breeding facility have been rescued.
The mother and daughter Alda, 14 and Ginny, eight, were facing an uncertain future in Śrem near Poznań, Poland.
During their time in captivity, the two leopards were forced to stay in a dark, cramped, barren cell with minimal outside space.
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The animals’ fate would have been very different if they were not rescued.
The leopards could’ve been confined to a life of exploitation in the circus, sent to an unaccredited zoo or even been used for their body parts.
The facility was raided in 2017 by the police and authorities, who discovered animals staying in horrendous conditions with some living in their own excrement.
The Polish authorities shut the facility down and confiscated the animals including Alda and Ginny.
Natuurhulpcentrum (NHC), a Belgian wildlife rescue centre, sent a team of experts to collect the two leopards.
At the time the animals had filthy coats and showed signs of malnourishment.
Since their rescue from the facility, staff at NHC have cared for both animals, with them receiving the specialist care needed to begin their recovery journey.
This only served as a temporary home for the animals with the process of finding them a permanent home taking years to pull off.
The international wildlife charity Born Free worked alongside the NHC to find the animals a fur-ever home, as reported by Need To Know.
The two leopards have now been successfully relocated to the Born Free Big Cat Sanctuary, at Shamwari Private Game Reserve, South Africa.
The pair travelled more than 8,000 miles, in cars and planes to reach their desired destination.
Whilst being nervous at first, the two leopards soon became relaxed in their new surroundings as they began exploring their new 2.5 acre enclosure.
Within half an hour of being in the enclosure the mother and daughter found one another and were reunited in their safe new home.
The animals will now be monitored closely by the Born free team, who will receive expert care for the rest of their lives.
Dr Mark Jones, Born Free’s Head of Policy, said, “While the purpose for which these poor leopards and so many other wild animals were illegally bred and kept in the Polish facility isn’t entirely clear, it’s highly likely that, if they hadn’t been rescued, their future would have been very bleak indeed.
“The trade in wild animals, both legal and illegal, is a major cause of biodiversity loss, and one of the principal risk factors for the emergence of future pandemics, as well as being devastating for the individual welfare of countless wild animals.
“Born Free works tirelessly to end the illegal trade in wildlife, and to ensure any legal trade is robustly regulated to protect the welfare of affected animals and eliminate any associated risks to wildlife conservation and animal or human health.
“We were instrumental in the development and recent revision of the European Commission’s Action Plan Against Wildlife Trafficking and are promoting the need for an international agreement to combat the illicit trade in wildlife, always with the aim of keeping wildlife in the wild, where it belongs.”
Sil Janssen, Founder, Natuurhulpcentrum added, “We rescued the leopards, a mother and her daughter from an illegal breeding centre seven years ago.
“The animals were confiscated because they were poorly cared for and kept in appalling conditions.
“The animals were kept in concrete cages that were far too small, without any distractions. We are very happy that we can work with Born Free again to give these animals a very good permanent home.
“We are sure that our leopards will do very well now in the care of Born Free at Shamwari.”
Maggie Balaskas, Born Free’s Head of Rescue and Care said, “Knowing the dire conditions Alda and Ginny were confiscated from, these two victims of the illegal wildlife trade truly deserve a tranquil, enriched life at Born Free’s Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari.
“Having waited so long to be legally allowed to leave Belgium, and what was only ever intended to be the temporary care of the wonderful Natuurhulpcentrum team, we are all overjoyed to see them finally being able to explore the new environment of their lifetime home in South Africa.
“Born Free has spent four decades tirelessly working to improve the lives of individual animals – Alda and Ginny are now part of that proud heritage.
“Two more lives transformed!”
Catherine Gillson, Born Free Manager, Shamwari Private Game Reserve added, “The dramatic change that Ginny and Alda are about to experience in their lives is going to be a privilege to see.
“The horrendous conditions that they experienced whilst living in their birthplace of Poland in an illegal breeding centre is going to be a stark contrast to the natural thick vegetation in their enclosures surrounded by their indigenous ancestors on Shamwari Private Game Reserve.
“While sadly they can never fully be released to the wild, we hope they will quickly adapt to new environments where they will have natural enrichment, be fed the correct diet and live out their lives in the respectful care of our dedicated Born Free Animal Care Team.”
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