Bella the Lion
Bella was rescued from a zoo in Romania, where she was kept in appalling conditions. Her concrete cage was filthy and her small outside area was too cold and snowy for an African lion. She had a number of medical problems that were left untreated and due to poor diet she developed a curve in her spine, making walking difficult for her. She was also going blind do to glaucoma in one eye and cataracts in the other.
Bella was born in 2002 in the Romanian zoo but sold young to gypsies for tourist reasons though she soon became too big to handle and was sold back to the zoo for breeding purposes. She had one cub but it unfortunately died and this death was soon followed by the death of her mate. In 2007 the zoo was shut down and thanks to campaigning from the group ‘Lion’s Roar’ and the Born Free Foundation, Bella was taken to a different facility and given eye surgery where she soon recovered her strength and heath.
In March 2009 Bella left Romania forever and was transported to Lilongwe Wildlife Centre to live in a specially built enclosure and have a life unlike anything she had experienced before. Virginia McKenna was there to open Bella’s last ever cage and release her into the freedom and safety of her new enclosure at Lilongwe Wildlife Centre where she will stay.
In February 2014 Bella found a friend. Simba arrived at the centre and after initially spending time in close but separate enclosures they can now be found relaxing and dozing in the sun together very much enjoying each other’s company. A very cool cat, Bella is one of the best loved characters at Lilongwe Wildlife Centre.
Want to adopt Bella?
Our adoptions packs are sent in email format to help conserve the environment and to ensure that the whole of your donation goes towards the animal rather than mailing/paper costs.
Email kat@lilongwewildlife.org with the following information:
Your name
The name of the recipient (if different from your own)
Any special message you would like to appear on the certificate
Your animal of choice
The email address that you would like it to be sent to (if it is a gift you may want to send it on yourself or for us to send it on your behalf)
Make your payment through the secure Paypal site by clicking on the button below:
Thank you, we will aim to complete your certificate within two working days