Medical Care for Around 70 Big Cats and Bears: Emergency Welfare Mission Launched in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Joint efforts by the Jordanian authorities and FOUR PAWS to treat wild animals
Vienna/Amman, 06 November 2026
- From 1-14 November, the Jordanian Government and FOUR PAWS are conducting a welfare mission at four private facilities and zoos in and around Amman that are suspected of keeping wild animals in unsuitable conditions.
- During one of FOUR PAWS' largest welfare missions, approximately 70 animals, including around 60 lions and tigers and nine bears, will be examined and receive emergency treatment.
- FOUR PAWS has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture to support national efforts.
On 1 November, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS and the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture started a major emergency welfare mission in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. During the two-week operation in and around Amman, approximately 30 lions, 30 tigers and nine bears in four privately owned facilities and zoos will be treated.
A team of wildlife veterinarians from the Jordanian authorities and FOUR PAWS managed to treat 39 animals in the first three out of four private facilities by 5 November. The four bears, 17 tigers, and 18 lions were anaesthetised, visually examined, vaccinated against rabies, and microchipped for identification. To better understand the full scope of their health conditions, blood samples were taken. The team is currently in preparations for their final stage of their emergency welfare mission in facility four.
“With the treatment of around 70 animals across four facilities, this is one of the largest and most complex missions in FOUR PAWS' history,” says Dr Amir Khalil, mission lead and veterinarian at FOUR PAWS.
Partnership to strengthen animal welfare conditions in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
FOUR PAWS and the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 29 October. Through this partnership, both parties will work together to improve the welfare of the affected animals.
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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