A Pride on the Move at LIONSROCK
A carefully planned operation sees 11 rescued Sudan lions safely settle into a new enclosure
Bethlehem, 28 July 2026 - How do you move an entire pride of 11 lions across a sanctuary? At LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary, this question has just been answered through patience, precision, and an unwavering commitment to animal welfare.
In 2023, during the chaos of war in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, 11 lions were left trapped and growing weaker by the day. FOUR PAWS’ Rescue and Response team intervened, undertaking a complex and dangerous mission to bring them to safety in South Africa.
Upon arrival at LIONSROCK, the lions were placed in the sanctuary’s Special Care Unit, four interconnected enclosures designed to allow close monitoring and intensive treatment. Over the past two years, the lions regained their strength, rebuilt their confidence, and gradually transitioned from survival to recovery.
Now thriving, the pride has outgrown its temporary home. This marks a major milestone: their relocation into a spacious, enriched enclosure designed for long-term wellbeing. Relocating a single lion is challenging; moving an entire pride of 11 is a logistical feat few attempts. To ensure the process remained as calm and stress-free as possible, the LIONSROCK team dedicated six weeks to crate training, allowing the lions to voluntarily enter transport crates. This approach eliminated the need for anaesthesia, significantly reducing risk and stress.
On moving day, the operation unfolded with precision. Crates were transported and carefully aligned at the enclosure gates. After final checks, a quiet moment followed as the first lion stood just inches from its new home. The first release was smooth and uneventful, a crucial sign that the strategy was working. Within a few hours, transport vehicles moved back and forth across the sanctuary, maintaining momentum as each lion was safely and swiftly released into their new permanent enclosures to join each other again.
Today, the pride has settled into two compatible social groups: seven younger lions exploring one section, while the older lions occupy another area tailored to their needs. Their new environment offers space to roam, natural features to discover, and the freedom to behave more like lions again.
Pirker emphasised that the success of the move was rooted in careful planning and trust-building.
From cramped crates in a conflict zone to a permanent home in South Africa, the journey of these 11 lions is a powerful example of resilience, rehabilitation and compassionate care. As they disappear into the long grass of their new enclosure, they enter a future defined not by survival, but by stability, dignity and space to thrive.
For more information, please visit our website at lionsrock.org
ENDS/
Deidre Daniels
Public Relations Officer9B Bell Crescent, Westlake Business Park,
Green Building, Cape Town, 7945
A Public Relations professional with over eight years’ experience in fostering positive relationships between organisations and media.
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FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam as well as 13 wild animal sanctuaries and cooperation projects across the globe, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org.za