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Ruben gets his roar back! The lonely lion that kept silent for years in an abandoned zoo has a new life in store
- Rubén, the 15-year-old lion, endured solitary confinement in his tiny cage
- The zoo on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan was owned by a Russian oligarch
For five years, Ruben the lion’s roars went unanswered like the last animal in an abandoned zoo.
So scarred was the 15-year-old from solitary confinement in a small cage that he fell silent. But now Ruben is learning to roar again with the help of the British animal charity that rescued him.
Jan Creamer of Animal Defenders International said the zoo on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border had been owned by a Russian oligarch.
After his death, all the other animals were rescued. “Unfortunately, there was no place for Rubén,” he said. Lions live in family groups and to roar is to speak to them.
Sweet freedom: Ruben is learning to roar again with the help of the British animal charity that rescued him
‘He’s still trying to roar. Rubén has never felt the sun on his back or the wind on his face.
Now he will soon find a home in a sanctuary in South Africa where, his rescuers hope, he will roar again.
The rescue operation had to be planned in secret and strategically timed to avoid escalating tensions in the region, which have been heightened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The family of the former oligarch wanted Rubén to have a better life and agreed to the move, which had to overcome multiple armed controls.
So scarred was the 15-year-old from solitary confinement in a small cage that he fell silent.
Ruben was sedated and under the care of a veterinarian during the nine-hour journey to safety in a converted bear sanctuary near the Armenian capital, Yerevan.
He will soon be taken to an ADI sanctuary in South Africa for lions and tigers.
Rubén, who was born in captivity at the zoo, has been left with health problems due to years spent with little food.
But his coat, once matted from mud and shedding, is regaining its shine as he grows accustomed to a healthy diet and the comfort of a bed of hay, two heated rooms, and a 30-foot by 15-foot enclosure.
Rescue: Ruben the lion is moved to safety from his cramped cage in a secure container
“This is more space than you’ve ever known, but the real transformation will be in Africa, where you’ll eventually have access to 2.5 acres of natural habitat,” said Ms. Creamer.
“Her lifelong restrictions have weakened her muscles and there appears to be neurological damage to her spine and head, with one leg wobbling and dragging. But we are strengthening him with exercise and food and he is responding well…
‘Ruben now gets involved and interacts with people, which is wonderful to see. Calls from him went unanswered for five years, but we are confident that he will roar again.”