Женщина вытерла слезы платком и начала рассказывать историю, от которой у меня по спине пробежали мурашки. Двенадцать лет назад она работала волонтером в украинском реабилитационном центре для диких животных, куда часто попадали животные, конфискованные у контрабандистов. Однажды егеря принесли крошечного львенка, которого нашли на частной территории при ужасных обстоятельствах. Браконьеры убили его мать ради шкуры для богатого клиента, а львенка оставили умирать в клетке.
The cub was at most a month old, had a broken front paw, and a severe infection had set in. All the veterinarians said there was practically no chance, but the woman, whose name was Margarita, decided to try to save him against all odds.
As she spoke, scenes from that time seemed to unfold before my eyes. A small ginger ball of fur with huge, frightened eyes, a bloodied paw being carefully treated and bandaged.
Margarita nursed the cub for three long months, never leaving its side. She fed him a special formula from a bottle every two hours, even giving him antibiotic injections at night and massaging his injured paw. The cub gradually began to grow stronger and show an interest in life. After a month, it could already stand unsteadily on three paws, and a month later, it began to take its first steps.
By the end of the third month, it had turned into a playful cub that followed Margarita everywhere like a shadow.
I could vividly imagine little Atlas clumsily running around the center’s enclosure, trying to catch his tail, and how Margarita laughed at his antics. When the cub grew up, the veterinarians took a control X-ray to assess the condition. The paw had healed, but improperly: the bone was slightly curved, and Atlas began to limp noticeably, especially after long runs.
All the experts agreed on one thing: he could not be released into the wild or a large reserve, as he would not survive with such an injury. He wouldn’t be able to hunt on par with others, nor could he escape from danger or rivals.
The only right decision was to find a good zoo in Ukraine where Atlas would be provided with a decent life, proper nutrition, and care. Margarita personally contacted several zoos, studied their keeping conditions, and chose ours…
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