Lioness Vasylyna in LIONSROCK Big Cat Santuary

Alone in a warzone 

We could hardly believe our eyes - a young lioness wandering alone through the war-torn streets of the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. At less than one year old, Vasylyna had escaped illegal private keeping and somehow survived freezing temperatures and the dangers of an active warzone.  

Terrified of her surroundings, hungry, and alone, she had spent most of her short life surrounded by war and never experienced a safe environment. She was captured and given emergency care at a local rescue centre, and after many months of delays and uncertainty, she finally made her way to FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary in the Netherlands, a special care facility for traumatised big cats.  

After she settled in and her condition improved, she was introduced to a young lion named Nikola, with a similarly harrowing start to life. It wasn’t long before love was in the air for these two young rescues.  

A whole new world 

After successfully being socialised, Nikola and Vasylyna – lovingly nicknamed Nikolyna - embarked on their journey to LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary together. Today, Vasylyna is unrecognisable from the terrified young lioness found shivering and hissing in the rubble. She loves surveying her and Nikola’s large enclosure from a vantage point, napping in the sun and playing “soccer” with Nikola with a ball made from fire hoses. Her favourite toy, though, is a large stick that she enjoys chewing and rolling around with! Sometimes, the simplest things in life really are the best. 

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What you can get
Gifts you will receive when you adopt Vasylyna
Vasylyna is waiting to be adopted

Your adoption will help fund her special care and support her species-appropriate life at LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary. But it will do even more than that: your support makes sure that we can continue to help more lions like Vasylyna and create a world where people treat animals with empathy, respect and understanding.   
As Vasylyna ’s sponsor, you will receive regular updates, photos and videos from her caretakers. You will also receive a personalised certificate, a gift bag featuring Vasylyna and you can choose whether you would like to receive a Vasylyna plush toy to have a beautiful reminder of her with you always.