Zoo in Argentina closed due to serious neglect of 60 lions, tigers and bears: Animal Welfare organisation Four Paws has launched a large-scale emergency relief mission

 

3 lions in a small cage in the former Zoo- Lujan Argentina

Amsterdam / Buenos Aires 

Global animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS has launched the first phase of a large-scale emergency relief mission in Argentina.  At the former Zoo Luján—closed in 2020 due to serious animal welfare concerns—our team is providing urgent medical care to more than 60 big cats and two bears.

One of the 2 bears rescued by Four Paws

It's the largest veterinary mission we've ever conducted on big cats in such a short period – the medical mission is scheduled to run from October 23rd to the end of November. Conditions on site are difficult: the enclosures are too small, there are too many animals, and the lions and tigers are kept together in cages. The two bears are also living in precarious conditions, but are separated from the big cats.  

Cooperation with the Argentine government 

Our main short-term goal is to improve the welfare of the lions, tigers, and two brown bears and provide them with urgent medical care. Our team of veterinarians and wildlife experts is currently working on this. This is the first step of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) we signed with the Argentine government in July. In the longer term, we aim to work with the government to find suitable solutions for the animals in the former zoo and to ban the commercial trade and private ownership of big cats in Argentina.  

Four Paws vets are examining one of the 2 bears