Bears Gordo and Florencia and tigress Flora will be the first animals from the former Luján Zoo to leave their tiny cages in Buenos Aires province to live in protected areas in Europe. The operation was carried out by the Austrian NGO Vier Pfoten, which is also responsible for the other 61 cats located at the property in Buenos Aires that was closed during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. In the meantime, The legal proceedings against the owner of the former zoo, Jorge Semino, who is accused of animal cruelty, are progressing.
Four Paws’ fieldwork began in August. A 15-person team led by Argentina’s Luciana D’Abramo arrived and began assessing the animals. “The first thing we had to do was strengthen security measures so we could begin assessing the animals. It was a miracle that no cat escaped during that time.” explains D’Abramo in a dialogue with Infobae.
During these five years, the animals (the former zoo also has dromedaries, zebras, monkeys and a chimpanzee) survived with a few keepers who tried to give them food almost every day. To do this, they used the donations of horses and dead cows that arrived from there nearby fields of Luján.
Gordo and Florence These were animals that came from working in the circus. They were abandoned and brought to the Luján property when it still served as a zoo and was visited by hundreds of children every weekend. “They have a lot of problems due to living in captivity and in small spaces,” says the four-paw specialist. “For example, they cannot hibernate, which is characteristic of this species. They live constantly on alert and are stressed.”
Gordo weighs 350 kilos. “It’s a monstrosity for an animal of its kind,” he says D’Abramo-. That’s because she doesn’t have much room to move.” Florence is now smaller.
Luciana also reveals that Gordo hurt his teeth Try to break the bars of the cage. “Gordo had eye problems and seemed very stressed when Four Paws veterinarians treated him,” explains the NGO envoy.
Gordo and Florence They each lived with their respective partners in the former Luján Zoo. But they don’t have a good relationship with each other. For this reason, they will also live in separate rooms in the sanctuary to which they are directed.
“Our idea is that they can be relocated before the end of the year. The paperwork and permits from the state are much easier than with cats,” says the board of Four Paws.
The two bears are being taken to a four-paws sanctuary in Bulgaria Belitza calls. “The place opened about 25 years ago, when shows with bears were banned in this country. They made them dance on two legs with a skirt on and there was a lot of abuse for that. They made them walk on hot coals so that they had this reflection,” explains Luciana.
In the first phase, Gordo and Florencia will live alone in rooms to adapt to their new living conditions. “Socialization with bears is not easy and we don’t want them to take risks,” he explains. D’Abramo.
Flora is a very small tigress for her age who lives in a cage measuring just 4 square meters in the former Luján Zoo. “She was the first we treated because her case was very serious. I had ingrown toenails down to the bones of his front legs – explains Luciana -. The vets operated on her, but she needs a lot of attention because her nails can grow into the wounds.”
The tigress will go to a special protection area in the Netherlands Four paws in this country for big cats. “There we will treat her in a kind of intensive therapy – says Luciana –. In this room she will be monitored the whole time.”
The tigress was alive Alone in a cage on the Luján property all his life. “He was on alert all the time because he had other big cats around him who constantly gave him a feeling of danger. This creates a high level of stress,” says Luciana.
The three animals are flown to their destinations. In the case of Tigress, there are direct flights from Buenos Aires to Amsterdam. The bears will have to make a stopover, probably in a city in Germany, and then continue their journey to Bulgaria.
Both the bears and the tigress will travel in the cargo hold of the plane in an enclosure prepared for the occasion. “You are awake all the time and are being monitored by Four Paws employees traveling in the passenger area on the same plane,” explains Luciana.
“It is a complex operation that must be coordinated in advance in order to be able to penetrate the various countries.” They reach their destination in the rescue stations,” says the board of Four Paws.
In the meantime, keep an eye on the others. 61 cats which are also transferred to shrines in Europe.
“They are animals that have lived in very small cages all the time. They are under a lot of emotional stress. We have to take into account, for example, that tigers are solitary animals. They usually walk alone or in pairs. And here they are in visual contact with.” another 40 cats,” Luciana explains the situation at the Luján property.
“We see problems with the teeth of many animals. This causes them pain and causes a lot of nervousness,” explains Luciana. “We had to do tooth extractions.”Molars and teeth to improve their quality of life.”
Four Paws has already carried out two cat surgeries in Argentina. In 2022, he rescued four Bengal tigers in San Luis—Mafalda, Gustavo, Messi and Sandro—who had been tied to railway carriages for more than 15 years. In a complex mission that spanned several continents, they were transported to the Lionsrock Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa. In 2023, he rescued two abandoned tigers from an illegal breeding farm in Balcarce. Since there were no suitable sanctuaries for big cats in Argentina, the animals were transferred to Al Ma’wa for Nature and Wildlife in Jordan.
The animals are already waiting to be finally transferred to rescue centers in Bulgaria and the Netherlands. The additional 61 cats from the former Luján Zoo will follow in the course of 2026. For the travel video, perhaps the best song would be “Carta de un león a otro” by Chico Novarro. The video shows her arriving at the new home as the end of the song is heard. “Return to nature. It would be your greatest wealth. There you will be able to love each other freely.” And there is no zoo full of people. Take care, brother. I don’t know when, but that day is coming.”
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