Bella Is Finally Home
Watch Her First Steps at Lilongwe Wildlife Centre in Malawi
After five months in Brasov where she underwent two eye surgeries, Bella stepped on African land on March 3rd, being welcomed in her new home in Malawi by members of the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre and Born Free Foundation.
Here is the latest report from Born Free from March 9th:
"We pay a last visit to see Bella; we return home tomorrow, as our other work in Malawi is finished. Bella is lying in the grass at the edge of a clearing when we visit this morning. She is unbothered by our arrival, and I am glad she is not so keen for human company that she comes straight over to us. She is alert to the sounds of twigs snapping in the forest around us, but makes no effort to get up and investigate. She is panting a little she still has the thick winter coat that she needed to protect her from the Romanian winter but not panting heavily. Eventually she lays over on her side, and we leave her sleeping. We depart knowing she is in kind, caring hands and that her transition from a concrete floored cage to her camp of African bush is complete."
We are very grateful to everyone who helped make this surgery and care possible, through their time or the donations so generously donated to her rescue fund. However, we are still in need funds to enable the rescue to go ahead, and for her life-time care at Lilongwe Wildlife Centre in Malawi.
Click here for a short presentation of Bella's journey narrated by Born Free.
November 2008 News
Born Free is arranging the rehoming of Bella, the solitary lioness, alone in the zoo since the death of her mate and cubs. Bella was blind in her right eye from an untreated glaucoma. Born Free are currently raising funds for Bella to be rehomed to the Lilongwe Sanctuary in Malawi Lions Roar have generously donated the funds for her life-time care. Before she was fit to travel though, Bella had to have her blind eye removed, in case it was damaged on the journey.
She was transferred to Brasov Zoo on 14th October, by John Knight and the vet from Brasov Zoo, Dr Ion Brumar. Her eye was successfully removed by David Donaldson, an ophthalmic vet from the Animal Health Trust in England, who donated his services. The operation was carried out at the Kronvet Clinic in Brasov who donated their facilities, and the operation was helped by Dr Iuliana Ionascu from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest it was a real international effort!
Bella is recovering well. At the back of her enclosure in the zoo is a small wooded area and after a few days Bella ventured into this woodland and stepped out onto grass for the first time in six years, perhaps the first time in her life. She is now awaiting a second operation, to remove the cataract in her left eye. John Knight and David Donaldson and the team from the Kronvet Clinic will carry out the operation on 9th December with a hi tec kit developed for removing cataracts in animals, donated by Acrivet in Germany. This will give Bella a lot more vision this will be a real bonus for her as she has probably been virtually blind for a long time.
We are also thrilled to report that her neighbor, a rescued lion, and she have become friends.
Here is Bella's journey in pictures:
Bella in her enclosure in Malawi. Photo courtesy of Born Free
Bella in between operations in Brasov.
Bella being taked away from Buhusi Zoo. What a happy day!
Bella before the operation, behind the cold bars at Buhusi Zoo
I feel the capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest significance.
