She chose us because we had an excellent reputation and spacious enclosures for large cats. She brought the grown Atlas herself, spent the whole day with him in his new enclosure, helping him to get settled, and then left. And it was one of the hardest days of her life, filled with tears and worries. I asked why she hadn’t come to visit him all these long years.
Margarita explained that a week after transferring Atlas to the zoo, she was urgently sent on a long assignment to the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve.
Serious problems had arisen there with the population of rare animal species, and experienced specialists of her level were needed. She spent almost ten years on expeditions and in reserves, saving bears, lynxes, and bison. Moreover, she was sure that Atlas had died long ago, as lions with such injuries often do not live long.
A few months ago, Margarita finally returned home to our city for retirement — tired, but happy that she had been able to help so many animals.
Yesterday, her granddaughter from Lviv came to visit her and persuaded her to go to the zoo, just to take a walk and get some fresh air. They walked along the alleys, looked at the animals, and suddenly Margarita saw a familiar enclosure. The sign read: “Atlas, male African lion, 12 years old”.
She froze, not believing her eyes, and slowly approached the fence.
The lion was lying in the shade of a large stone, and when Margarita quietly said his name, he sharply raised his head and looked directly at her.
She saw the characteristic scar on his front paw — the very same mark from the improperly healed bone — and immediately understood everything. It was him, her rescued cub, who had survived against all odds.
Margarita wanted to approach the zoo staff, to tell her story, but she was suddenly afraid that no one would believe her. So many years had passed, she had no documents with her to prove her connection to Atlas. What if they thought she was some crazy old lady making up stories? She got flustered, said goodbye to her granddaughter, and went home, but she couldn’t sleep all night…
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