Pitou strides from the cage used to transport her...
...And greets her new surroundings in South Africa with an impressive roar
Posted on 01/12/2008 2:20:06 PM PST by Daffynition
For ten years their home has been a 20ft cage set into the cliffs of Monte Carlo.
But last week - for the first time in their lives - leopards Sirius and Pitou ran free across the plains of Africa.
They tasted their new freedom in a game reserve after being rescued from Monaco zoo following a five-year campaign by The Mail on Sunday and The Born Free Foundation.
Female Pitou, aged 14, set off with a roar after leaving her cage - while 13-year-old male Sirius had to be coaxed out before bounding into the veldt.
The leopards had been incarcerated at Monaco's Jardin Animalier after they were given to the late Prince Rainier by a French circus owner.
However, last week Prince Albert, who succeeded to the throne in 2005, released them.
He said: "My father started the zoo in the Fifties and my mother would bring me here as a child.
"The lack of space makes it difficult to sustain. My father was aware of that but he loved the animals and wanted them close to him.
"Now I think we have to think in different terms. The zoo's animals need space and a sense of freedom. Most of them have been born in captivity.
"The leopards are quite old now but if they can have a nice last few years, then hopefully they will appreciate that we can do that for them.
"It's time to rethink the mission of zoos, particularly when we can now see the wonder of animal life in documentaries."
The leopard rescue is expected to mark the start of transforming the zoo into a nature park and educational facility.
It is also a significant coup for Virginia McKenna, 76, who has spearheaded the campaign.
Virginia, star of the celebrated 1966 film Born Free, said: "It's a major move forward. I'm over the moon. Once you see a zoo it never leaves you.
"You can't forget the animals trapped in there. With Monaco it was the juxtaposition of this poor, inadequate little place where the animals were kept and the fantastic wealth surrounding them. It seemed so unjust and lacking in humanity.
"I'm very admiring of the prince and the stance he's taken. He's a very genuine man and I think Monaco is very lucky to have him."
The campaign to free the animals began with an article in The Mail on Sunday that detailed the lives of Pitou and Sirius, Nina, a rare white tiger, and Poluxe, a hippopotamus whose skin was peeling horribly.
The story led to thousands of protest letters which Virginia and a group of schoolchildren delivered to Monaco's consulate in London.
Last week the leopards were tranquilised by Born Free's veterinary expert John Knight, who then gave them a thorough medical check, assisted by Prince Albert.
They were then flown to Britain before being transferred to a South African Airways flight to take them to their new home at the Shamwari Wildlife Reserve in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Virginia said: "Now they can live out their last days where they belong."
To pay for the future care of Pitou and Sirius and help fund other Big Cat Projects, please contact The Born Free Foundation on 01403 240170 or at www.bornfree.org.uk.
Pitou strides from the cage used to transport her...
...And greets her new surroundings in South Africa with an impressive roar
A nice gesture, but can these animals care for themselves?
They’re beautiful animals. I wonder if there are plans to keep track of them as they adjust to their new surroundings.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Roar! I'm Sirius!"
Which will be very few... Big cats have to be taught how to hunt by their mother... and these cats did not learn.
Anybody remember the movie "Born Free?" It was about the extreme effort Joy Adamson had to undertake to return Elsa, a raised in captivity lion, to the wild. Although ultimately successful it was not easy.
"On completion of their journey, the leopards will be released into a 3 acre natural bush enclosure in the Born Free Julie Ward Education and Rescue Centre, named in memory of the young British conservationist tragically murdered in Kenya over 10 years ago. Here they will live out the rest of their lives in a rich natural setting."It's not the wild... it's just a bigger zoo.
Yeah the sound over that site says their new cage is 3 acres and wooded. That is probably necessary but they are to use the leftist language of the article still incarcerated.
LMAO,
What a peta and animal rights wacko statement. If someone don't feed them they will starve.
Would really like to know how many dollars was conned off of people for a bigger cage.
Okay, they are basically getting a better pen.
She must've veldt it was long overdue.
...
However, last week Prince Albert, who succeeded to the throne in 2005, released them.
Always thought it was His Highness who was in a can.
It will not diminish the fact that they are better off now. ;)
Right as I said it was necessary. They probably would not survive long at all in the wild.
Oh, the animals are so important. How many millions of people are dying in Africa? The news tell this fairy tale liberal nonsense a whole 3 acre cage. Children are starving, war is raging but those Leopards have a new cage real news worthy feel good story.
I love the look in the first pic...”Is it real? No sh*t??”
I would not say they are so important, but nobody is spending my money on those tigers. Unfortunately the one thing the starving in Africa need or need well before this is the one thing they were not about to be allowed, freedom so they could produce enough to survive.
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