It has been an emotional roller coaster for the last 15 months! It has had all the intrigue of a thriller and involved the Wildlife Authorities, the Dog Squad and the Organised Crime Unit in Northern Kwa Zulu Natal, with the victims being two little lions cubs, destined for the hunting industry, but confiscated just in time.

CROW Operations Director, Dr Helena Fitchat is known for her work with large predators, so she was first on the list of names to call when KZN Wildlife were informed of the illegal possession of these cubs.

Helena and I immediately set off for Mkuze, having agreed to take custody of these animals. The trip was not successful as the lions had been hidden on a farm and could not be traced.

A week later another call came in from the same authorities and we set off again. This time the Organised Crime Unit and the Dog Squad were involved in locating the cubs. We waited on the side of the road for 5 hours until they were found and confiscated. Finally we received the call to go to the property where the cubs were being held in an abandoned house, on a bare concrete floor, huddled together and terrified. They were in an appalling condition, with the little male looking more like a hyena than a lion!

It took a few more hours to wade through all the legalities of accepting the cubs, having had to go to the police station to sign for them, but finally we set off back to Durban, arriving late at night with two lions that had not eaten for more than a day. First priority was to give them milk and meat, but they did not recognise a bottle, nor did they show any interest in the meat that was presented! In desperation they were offered cooked chicken, which they wolfed down, so who knows what they had been fed in the early weeks!!

They were then carried down to their first enclosure for the night.And so started the most incredible, emotional journey with Shumba and Savannah!

Judi Gounaris - Chairperson CROW, December 2007

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