Thank you all SO MUCH for your kindness and generosity towards this campaign. I'm delighted to share the following message from the Born Free Foundation - “An enormous thank you from all of us at Born Free for your incredibly generous response to Dan’s appeal for King.  We all hope this beautiful young lion will now live a happy and peaceful life that he deserves.   Each of you have helped to make this a reality.”

Late last summer, distressing images were circulated on social media of a tiny lion cub being kicked and beaten by an unknown man somewhere in France. Horrified members of the public alerted the authorities, who immediately launched an investigation.

Their inquiries led them to an abandoned apartment in the Paris suburb of Noisy-le-Sec. Inside they made a shocking discovery – a male cub, half-starved and cowering in a small, dirty cage.

French animal rescue charities Fondation 30 Million d’Amis and Refuge de l’Arche sprang into action to treat the poor cub and found him a temporary home at Natuurhulpcentrum rescue centre (NHC), in Belgium. There, he was nursed back to health and named King.

Just a few months old, little King is an innocent victim of the illegal wildlife trade. His ‘owner’ was taken into custody on charges associated with illegally keeping a wild animal and animal abuse. 

King has had the worst possible start to his very short life, but now he’s on his way to his new, forever home and with your help we can give him a life worth living. Born Free is relocating King to its big cat sanctuary at the Shamwari Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

At Shamwari, King will be given lifetime care in a spacious, safe and enriching environment, surrounded by the sights and sounds of his ancestral home in Africa. King’s care will cost around £4000 each year so I’m raising money to help Born Free cover those costs.

Thank you so much for your kindness