Lions Vasylyna and Nikola made the journey from Nijeberkoop in the Netherlands to Betlehem in South Africa in April 2024. There they will embark on a bright new future. The lion couple did not fly alone: animal caretaker Kim Schrotenboer at FELIDA accompanied them. She talks about the special journey, their arrival in South Africa and how the love couple are doing now.

Kim clearly remembers her first encounter with Nikola and Vasylyna at FELIDA. Nikola was still a cub when he arrived at the sanctuary in June 2022. "A confident little lion, looking at the world with big eyes," she says. A year later Vasylyna arrived. "It was shocking to see how little muscle mass she had." At the beginning of 2024, the two young animals were socialised. There was an instant spark and the two young lions have been inseparable ever since.

FELIDA offered Nikolyna, the couple's cute nickname, special care. Such as, medical care, the socialisation process and training. The next step was the journey to FOUR PAWS' larger sanctuary: LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa. But how do you get two lions from the Netherlands to South Africa? Detailed preparation is the key, Kim says. "The most important thing is that they become familiar with their transport crate. This makes them more relaxed during the journey and acclimatises them to their new environment better."

After months of crate training lions Nikola and Vasylyna were ready for the journey to South Africa and successfully walked into their transport crates. After being loaded into the truck, they drove to Schiphol Airport, together with Kim. There, an Air France-KLM Martinair Cargo plane was waiting. "It was a very special experience. They did so well. They were super calm and composed from start to finish. I also really enjoyed being with them. I check them during the flight whenever I wanted and would talk to them for a while. The sound of my voice was familiar to them. In addition, they heard each other and that too gave peace of mind I think." Air France-KLM Martinair Cargo staff were very involved, Kim noticed. "The pilots even asked what temperature the lions wanted on the plane."

After the flight, they were picked up by two pick-ups. Together they drove to LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary. They arrived just before dark. Kim was impressed by the FOUR PAWS sanctuary in South Africa. "The scenery alone was very impressive. You drove past zebras and ostriches on the way to LIONSROCK. I heard and saw wild life everywhere. LIONSROCK itself is also very impressive and large. They have species appropriatie habitats, with trees and high vantage points in the enclosures. Those enclosures are many acres in size, but at the same time the keepers can keep an eye on the big cats. For the animals whose past prevents them from living in the wild, this is really the best place."

The idea was to release Vasylyna first in their new enclosure. She is the more confident one of the two lions. "I stood by the gate and spoke to her so she heard my familiar voice again. I was surprised that Vasylyna stayed in her transport crate. Apparently, she felt so comfortable there that she did not felt the need to go outside right away. Then we also opened Nikola's crate. He walked straight into their enclosure and started exploring everything right away. When Vasylyna heard him, she immediately followed his example. After 2 seconds, they had found each other again. That was a very touching moment for me. They really felt at home right away. Under that African sun, as silly as that may sound, they immediately seemed like a grown-up couple. Whereas in FELIDA they were still two teenagers in love."

Kim helped Nikolyna get used to their new home for another month. "It continued to go tremendously well. From the beginning, they showed natural behaviour. In the evening, they would lie peacefully together in the straw. They also played a lot, I had brought two of their favourite balls from FELIDA."

For four weeks, Kim stayed by the couple's side. Meanwhile, she exchanged knowledge with her African colleagues. Every day, she handed over the care to them more. "That it went so well also gave me the confidence to leave South Africa with peace of mind. They get really fantastic care in LIONSROCK." She said goodbye with a double feeling. "I sat with them for another hour that morning and enjoyed the picture. Of Nikola and Vasylyna, so familiar and peaceful under the African sun. Of course it was emotional to leave, but at the same time it gave me a lot of satisfaction. We are so proud of how they are doing. We are still getting regular updates at the moment. Vasylyna and Nikola keep doing incredibly well!"