Rescued Circus Lion Gets Her First Ever Toy And Absolutely Loves It

Jun 15, 2018

Nena the lion has had a hard life. The lioness was born in 2008 to a circus in Guatemala. At the Circo Navarro, she would be forced to do tricks for huge crowds. To make her learn the new tricks, her handlers would beat her whenever she performed incorrectly. 

That's not the only abuse the poor lion suffered. She was declawed, causing irreparable injuries to her paws. Whenever she wasn't performing for audiences, she was kept in a tiny cage with other lions that barely gave them room to move. 

Thankfully, her torture finally ended in the spring of 2017 when the government of Guatemala passed a new law that outlawed the use of circus animals. While they no longer performed, the lions were still kept in tiny cages for visitors to stare at in awe. 

Animal Defenders International (ADI), an international nonprofit organization with offices in London, Bogota, and Los Angeles, heard about the lions at Circo Navarro and stepped in to help. The ADI took the lions and immediately gave them better housing with space to roam around, and the lions were already happier. 

Nena was put into a large enclosure with plenty of room, and she was given another surprise: her first toy!

Volunteers put logs in her cage so she could have something to play with. The volunteers were delighted when Nena immediately began rolling around with the logs and throwing them into the air. 

Nena and the other circus lions are still being kept in a temporary location in Guatemala. Eventually, they'll be sent to a sanctuary facility in South Africa, where they can live in their natural grassland environment. Once they get to the sanctuary, they'll be able to run and romp around for the first time. 

Volunteers are excited for the peaceful and happy life Nena and the other lions will be able to have after such a traumatic past in the circus. Thank goodness we have such good people in this world who love animals! Help spread the word about these rescued animals by showing this article to your friends and family!