Lions from war-torn Ukraine arrive at Yorkshire Wildlife Park to start new life

Yorkshire Wildlife Park has rescued four lions from war-torn Ukraine.

Mother Aysa and her cubs, Emi, Santa and Teddi, spent nine months in a holding facility in Poland having escaped Russian bombs.

Aysa, from a private collection in the Donetsk region, was abandoned as Vladimir Putin’s invaders occupied Ukraine.

The park said Aysa was alone, malnourished and traumatised by bombings when she was rescued and taken to an interim sanctuary in Kyiv – where she gave birth to the cubs before they were all moved to a temporary facility at Poznan Zoo.

On Tuesday, they were driven the 1,000 miles to Yorkshire, arriving at the wildlife park before being unloaded at their new home on Thursday.