Safe from Putin's bombs

Family of lions complete 2,000 mile trek across 6 countries from Ukraine to new home in Yorkshire

- LUCY THORNTON

A LIONESS and her three cubs have finally arrived in Britain after an ordeal that began in war-torn Ukraine.

After nine months penned and unable to see the sky they were driven 2,000 miles from Poznan, Poland, to their new home.

As female cubs Emi, Santa and brother Teddi emerged from their crates, it was the first time they had seen grass, trees and birds since mum Aysa was saved from Russian bombs in Donetsk over a year ago.

Watching them, Bex Brown, 34, head of the carnivore section at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, said: "It's incredible.

"This is what dreams are made of.

"As a child all you want is to help animals and now I'm part of this wonderful rescue."

PLAYING

Teddi was first out of his crate into the tunnel leading to a holding pen.

Deputy head of carnivores Colin Northcott, who had visited the lions in Poznan, used the Polish word for "come" to urge him to move forward.

Teddi didn't need telling twice and sprinted into the holding pen and hid in the straw.

Emi and Santa needed a bit more persuading, taking five minutes and 20 minutes to emerge.

At first all three huddled together but within minutes they began playing with logs in the pen.

Aysa, unloaded into a pen next door, was the most relaxed, instantly making herself at home, moving to the front of the pen and looking up at the sky.

She also watched all the rangers and appeared to recognise Colin.

Pregnant Aysa had been rescued from a private zoo in Donetsk as Russian bombs rained down. She gained sanctuary, of a sort, in Kyiv, where she had the cubs.

The family was then moved to a zoo in Poznan where they had to be separated after stressed Aysa hit out at one of her offspring in their cramped pen.

They had been living in adjacent 15ft-square concrete holding pens and it is thought the cubs had never had the chance to run free.