Two lion cubs rescued from a ravaged Gaza zoo have a new home at a wildlife sanctuary in Jordan.

 

A man purchased the brother and sister from the Rafah Zoo earlier this year, according to a press release from Four Paws, the international animal welfare group that facilitated the cubs' rescue.

 

The Israel Defense Forces demolished the zoo in 2004, and the facility has struggled to recover. Zoo owner Mohammed Ahmed Juma told Reuters in March that he sold the cubs because the profits would help him feed the remainder of the animals.

 

Saad Eldeen Al-Jamal, the man who bought the cubs, told Agence France-Presse at the time that the animals were "like members of the family" and loved playing with his children in their home at a refugee camp in Rafah. Though he had the best of intentions, he soon found he had more than he could handle. Al-Jamal had trouble affording the huge amount of meat the cubs required, and was considering "leasing" them out to amusement parks, restaurants and resorts for extra cash, AFP reported.

 

Additionally, veterinarian Amir Khalil, who led the Four Paws rescue mission, noted the wild animals posed a serious safety threat.

 

Al-Jamal ultimately agreed to turn the animals over to the Four Paws team, which brought the cubs last Thursday to their permanent home at Al Ma'wa for Nature and Wildlife, a Jordan wildlife sanctuary.

 

Al-Jamal and his family had previously called the lion siblings "Alex" and "Mona," but Four Paws workers changed their names to "Salam" and "Shalom" to symbolize a hope for peace in the region.

 

Khalil said the cubs, now 5 months old, took the whole situation in stride, cuddling together any chance they got on the journey.

 

The cubs are now undergoing veterinary exams at their temporary home. Both cubs were afflicted with a skin disease, while the female cub has swelling on the back of her head that vets suspect was caused by a stroke, according to the release.

 

 

PHOTO CREDIT: Four Paws/Tom Benda.