A young lion peers from its pen at Uday's animal compound before being sent to Baghdad's zoo April 25, 2003.
Posted on 05/23/2003 5:41:57 PM PDT by Shermy
JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Two lions and a lioness and her six cubs housed in a Baghdad zoo owned by Saddam Hussein's son Uday will be given their freedom in reserves in South Africa, the SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary said.
Louise Joubert, the founder of the sanctuary, based in northeastern Limpopo province, told the SAPA news agency that SanWild had managed to secure the release of the lions from the zoo.
The lioness and cubs will be settled in the Ngome Community Reserve in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province and the two male lions will go to the SanWild sanctuary, she said.
"The lioness will be isolated from people and allowed to raise her cubs. After 10 or 12 months they will be rehabilitated into the reserve," she said.
The other two lions will be placed with a brother and sister pair.
Joubert said she was not worried about the lions being returned to the wild.
"Lions never ever lose their natural instincts to hunt. They just have to be allowed to get used to hunting again," she said.
And they have to get fit -- sitting around a Baghdad zoo does nothing for a lion's endurance.
She told SAPA the animals had been traumatised by what happened in Baghdad.
"But what better way for them to recuperate from trauma than in the wild bush?"
US troops rescued the lions, along with two cheetahs and a blind bear, in April, from a private zoo established by Uday in one of Baghdad's presidential palaces, and moved them to the Baghdad municipal zoo.
Like his father, Uday disappeared during the United States-led invasion although a report in the Wall Street Journal on Friday said he was considering surrendering to US forces.
The blind bear, destined for Greece, will have its sight restored by a South African vet, Joubert said.
She said said the lions were expected to arrive in South Africa early to mid-July.
"Emirates Airlines have offered us free flights so all we are doing at the moment is sourcing containers to transport the animals in and visas for the vets."
A young lion peers from its pen at Uday's animal compound before being sent to Baghdad's zoo April 25, 2003.
They have grief counselors for animals too? What could be next?
It'll be real nice to put these lions in the wild to find out if they've developed a taste for people.
Uday was feeding people to these lions, I do not think they should be set free. They should be shot.
"But what better way for them to recuperate from trauma than in the wild bush?"
I give it less than 6 months and they will be hunting them down for killing humans. Once an animal has a taste of human flesh they tend to look for more.
....which is more than Uday gave to his human captives....
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