When Sara first arrived at her rescuers' home, she was sick, tired, and covered in ringworms and signs of abuse all over her little furry body. The four-and-half-month-old lion cub was rescued by an animal rights group in Beirut and later transported to a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa after a long journey on a yacht and planes, escaping both Israeli airstrikes and abusive owners.
Sara is the fifth lion cub to be evacuated from Lebanon by the local rescue group since the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel began. The lion cub was discovered on social media channels in July, where her owner in Baalbek was seen parading with her on TikTok and Instagram, despite it being illegal to own wild and exotic animals in Lebanon.
