Lions and tigers begin a long-awaited rescue from a notorious Argentine zoo

In a high-stakes operation, thirty lions and tigers that had been confined to cramped cages for years at a shuttered zoo in Argentina began their journey to new lives in wildlife sanctuaries across the globe on Friday, August 14, 2026. The big cats were being rescued by Four Paws, an international animal-welfare organization, from the former Luján Zoo, located about 43 miles northwest of Buenos Aires. This is considered one of the largest relocations of captive big cats in the world.

Four Paws, the organization overseeing the transfer, expressed their commitment to ensuring a smooth process for the 30 animals. Luciana D’Abramo, the program director for Four Paws, stated that they are "putting everything into making this go as smoothly as possible so we can celebrate that 30 lives have improved because of this effort."

The tigers and lions will be flown to their new homes in separate shipments. Nine tigers and six lions will travel to Lionsrock, a Four Paws sanctuary in South Africa that currently houses over 80 big cats in natural enclosures spanning 148 acres. The remaining eight tigers and seven lions will be sent to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado, a vast refuge located northeast of Denver, where rescued lions, tigers, and other animals roam expansive habitats.

However, the journey for the big cats bound for Colorado is not without challenges. These cats will fly through Chile before making a four-hour drive to their destination. In contrast, the cats heading to Johannesburg will travel via Frankfurt or Amsterdam before embarking on a four-hour drive to Lionsrock. To assist the big cats in entering their transport crates, Four Paws handlers have trained many of them to voluntarily enter the crates.

However, some required sedation, including two tigers that were hoisted in canvas slings and carried by hand to their transport crates by veterinarians.