Vienna, 14 July 2025 – 12-year-old lion Gjoni has had a turbulent life: a victim of the commercial wildlife trade, he was smuggled and kept illegally as a visitor attraction at a restaurant in Kosovo until it burned down. Due to the urgency and a lack of species-appropriate homes for big cats in the region, Gjoni found a temporary home at BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina in 2022. After overcoming many hurdles, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS, who runs the bear sanctuary, has successfully transferred Gjoni to its FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary in the Netherlands on 10 July. Here Gjoni will meet other lions for the first time. While he is a symbol of hope for mistreated big cats around the world, the need to address the problematic commercial wildlife trade and illegal trafficking of animals continues to be urgent in the Southeast of Europe and beyond.

Since his arrival at BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina, FOUR PAWS has been advocating to relocate the male lion to one of its big cat sanctuaries. Based on the support provided by the local authorities, FOUR PAWS could now bring Gjoni to his new forever home. During the 3,300 kilometre-journey to the Netherlands, Gjoni was transported in a specialised vehicle for wildlife transport and accompanied by a veterinarian who regularly checked on him. As lions are social animals which normally benefit from living with companions, Gjoni might get the chance to be socialised with a previously rescued lioness once he has settled in.

The commercial wildlife trade thrives

In recent years, FOUR PAWS has observed a growing trend of big cats being illegally and commercially traded, kept and bred in Southeast Europe. The commercial breeding and trade of wild animals is a lucrative, global billion-dollar industry that gains profit from exploiting animals, by exploiting a lack of an effective legal framework or weak enforcement. In most cases of exploitation, illegal private keeping and abuse of wild animals is detected via social media, which makes it particularly hard to track. While some countries, like Slovakia and Czechia, have adopted stricter regulations, there is still a lack of species-appropriate solutions for privately kept wild animals in need of rescue. FOUR PAWS advocates that all big cats be granted the same level of protection under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and is working in specific trade hotspots in South Africa and across Europe to bring about this change.

FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary

FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary in the Netherlands is one of 13 wild animal sanctuaries and cooperation projects FOUR PAWS has established worldwide for rescued wild animals. It functions as a special care facility for physically and mentally traumatised big cats. The big cats that recover from the hardships of their past can be transferred to LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa. Animals that need lifelong intensive and special care stay at FELIDA. Including Gjoni, it is currently home to four lions and two tigers rescued by FOUR PAWS.