In the war-torn streets of a village in the Kharkiv region in the north east of Ukraine, a young malnourished lioness was roaming the streets after she escaped private keeping. Terrified of her surroundings and alone, she had spent most of her short life surrounded by war and never experienced a safe environment.

Vasylyna was born in 2021 and had been kept by a private person in a house. Unfortunately, it is unknown what she had to go through, and how she got into private keeping. Luckily, she was quickly found and captured by animal welfare activists and legally handed over by the authorities in the care of Wild Animal Rescue in Kyiv region, where she received proper care and treatment. Unfortunately, this was only a temporary solution, and the rescue station could not provide a species-appropriate forever home for her.

After her difficult first years, she was in need of a long-term home, where she would get the care and enclosure she so desperately deserves. Due to unexpected challenges, and the difficulties involved in moving a wild animal in a war situation, we were forced to delay her transfer. Finally, after months of uncertainty, we were able to begin her relocation in June 2023. 

At FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary in the Netherlands, she can start all over again in species-appropriate conditions. The team on-site will give her all the time and care she needs, to recover from her traumatic past. If all goes well, she will be introduced to Nikola, a young lion that was rescued in Montenegro, after also escaping from his private keeping. Hopefully, they can find a companion in one another and grow up together.