Shortly after arriving in Jordan, the lioness gave birth to a cub, Hajar.

A lioness has given birth to a healthy cub just hours after being rescued from a Syrian zoo.

The charity FOUR PAWS completed a mission to evacuate 13 animals from the ‘Magic World’ amusement park near Aleppo. The team discovered the lioness, Dana, was carrying two cubs.

It was one of the charity’s most challenging rescues to date, involving five lions, two tigers, two Asian black bears, two hyenas and two dogs. All 13 animals were successfully transported to Turkey from the Syrian border and were treated at a wildlife rescue centre, before being moved to an animal sanctuary in Jordan.

Shortly after arrival, Dana went into labour and gave birth to a cub, Hajar. An earlier ultrasound had revealed that her other cub was sadly unlikely to survive. Dana and her cub are said to be in good condition considering their circumstances.

The Jordanian animal sanctuary, Al Ma’wa for Nature and Wildlife, is the final stop on the journey for most of the animals. When they are strong enough, both tigers will be taken to FELIDA, a rescue centre in the Netherlands for big cats. The team there are specialised in the rehabilitation of traumatised wild animals requiring intensive medical treatment. Vets are also looking for a specialist home for the Husky-mix dogs.

Dr Amir Khalil, the FOUR PAWS vet who led the mission, commented: “The last weeks were nerve-wracking and exhausting for the animals and for our team as well. We were pushed to our limits but the arrival of the animals in Amman and the birth of the healthy cub mean we are celebrating another milestone of our rescue mission.”

FOUR PAWS founder and president, Heli Dungler, added: “Many people called this rescue mission ‘Mission Impossible’, but we proved them wrong. Now, nothing stands between the animals from Syria and a better future.”

Image © FOUR PAWS