This Mountain Lion Takes Its First Steps To Freedom After 20 years Living In Chain

“It was heartbreaking to see Mufasa chained among the circus equipment, living on the back of a pickup truck. A heavy harness and chains were wrapped around his body and as we cut them away, he stretched, free, for the first time.” Jan Creamer, president of Animal Defenders International (ADI), said in a statement.

However, not just his physical health was damaged. The rescuers described him as quite nervous when they set him free, he was afraid of people. Apparently, 20 years kept in chain has severely affected his mental health. Fortunately, Mufasa was then transferred to ADI’s Spirit of Freedom rescue center in Lima, Peru, where caretakers began to heal his body and mind.

Although he has made a good recovery, he was unable to be released back into the wild. Therefore, the rescuers transferred him to Taricaya Ecological Reserve. In there, a special enclosure in the Amazon rainforest has been prepared for him. At last, Mufasa can live out his days as close to his natural life as possible.

Mufasa wasn’t the first animal to be rescued and also not the last one. ADI will continue their work to free illegal circus animals and hopefully, return them to their natural home.
You can watch a video of the rescue below.