Bobby was together with the lions Zhaku and Lenci, rescued from Safari Park Zoo Fier in Albania by FOUR PAWS. This zoo was known as “Europe’s worst zoo”. His battered nose is a sad reminder of his difficult life in Albania. Since May 9th, 2019 he lives at the FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary.

In October 2018, a FOUR PAWS rescue team managed to rescue the three lions, as well as the other wildlife from Safari Park Zoo Fier. Bobby had lived on a concrete floor in a small cage for years. There was no protection from wind, rain or sunlight. After the rescue, the lions were transferred to a temporary residence in the Albanian capital, Tirana, until the Albanian ministry authorised transport to the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the ministry initially did not cooperate, and bureaucratic arbitrariness hindered the movement of the three lions. FOUR PAWS launched an online petition signed by nearly 70,000 supporters. With success: the lions got the green light. After a journey of 52 hours and almost 3,000 kilometres through ten countries, they were finally home.

Sometimes we say that the work really starts after the rescue. Bobby, Zhaku and Lenci were all in very bad shape. So bad, unfortunately, that help came too late for lion Zhaku: he died two months after arriving at FELIDA. Bobby didn't have an easy time either. He suffered from teeth problems and a severe urinary tract infection. Although we could help him with both problems after his arrival at FELIDA, it took him a long time to completely recover from this. In addition to that, he suffers from kidney failure. No recovery is possible for this, but we support him with medication to provide him with the best life possible.

Bobby's favourite hobby is to lie down and rest, relax and sleep in his hammock. He is not a playful or active lion. After his morning routine - in which he examines his enclosure, marks his territory and roars in the ‘lion choir’ - he jumps into his hammock where he prefers to lie around all day. Enrichment is simply not his thing. On the other hand, he really likes the clicker training with his caregivers. He is very intelligent and eager to learn. But otherwise he is most of all just very lazy. For years, Bobby lived on a concrete floor, but now he has finally found peace.

In the beginning of June we discovered that Bobby was not feeling quite well. We know from his past that his bladder wall has been affected by the chronic bladder infections he had before he arrived at FELIDA. We are currently supporting him with supplements to protect his bladder wall and we check his urine regularly. The result has shown that there are traces of blood and white blood cells in his urine which can indicate that there is an infection. Therefore, we have decided to schedule a medical check to find out exactly what is going on and make a new treatment plan for him.

Wildlife veterinarian Mandana Pötsch from Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research came to FELIDA to examine his bladder and kidneys and take samples of his blood and urine. We will, together with our wildlife specialists, determine a new treatment plan for the 13-year old lion based on the results of these samples. We already know from previous medical checks that Bobby suffers from a further developed stage of chronic kidney disease and we will keep supporting him with medication. 

After the medical check, which went well, Bobby woke up on a warm bed of straw in his heated indoor enclosure. 

The last lab results of Bobby’s medical check show no significant deteriorating of his health. The wildlife veterinarians did detect a mass on his liver, but his blood samples show no changes in his liver function values or immune system. Which means that Bobby’s liver function is still stable. He also does not seem to have any symptoms at the moment.

To find out what the mass is, Bobby would need surgery and biopsies would need to be taken for pathology. However, since the 13-year-old lion does not seem to be bothered by the symptoms, we want to avoid any stressful and invasive procedures to prevent further deterioration of his chronic kidney disease. For now, we will focus on his well-being, support him with supplements and medication and treat his symptoms when they occur. Should anything change with his health, we will of course keep you updated.