Nala's Roar of Resilience
Rescued lioness continues to flourish at LIONSROCK
Bethlehem, 06 October 2026 – This October marks eight years since lioness Nala arrived at LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary, a FOUR PAWS sanctuary providing lifelong care for rescued big cats, where she now enjoys the freedom, care and dignity every wild animal deserves.
Born in 2015, Nala's early life was far from natural. She was rescued from a man in France who trained and sold wild animals to circuses. After years of legal efforts by French authorities, the animals were finally confiscated in 2017. Nala was taken into the care of Stichting AAP and transferred to their big cat rescue centre, Primadomus in Spain, on 01 March 2017 before making the journey to South Africa.
At the time, LIONSROCK was caring for a young male lion named Saeed, who was in need of a companion. Having worked closely with Stichting AAP before, it was decided that Nala would move to LIONSROCK, allowing Primadomus to create space for future rescues. On 11 October 2018, Nala arrived at LIONSROCK and was initially housed in the Special Care Unit, where plans were made to introduce her to Saeed, who sadly passed away unexpectedly before the introduction could take place.
Today, Nala continues to thrive in her forever home. She enjoys her spacious natural surroundings and dedicated care from the animal caretakers. Known for her energetic personality, Nala especially loves enrichment in the form of hessian bags filled with her favourite scents and is eager to be challenged with more complex options. Her playful personality continues to be a defining trait. She greatly enjoys her weekly training sessions and consistently shows strong learning ability, picking up new concepts quickly and eagerly.
Located near Bethlehem in the Free State, LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary provides a safe haven for rescued lions, tigers and other big cats that cannot be returned to the wild.
For more information, please visit our website at www.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