Give lioness Zora a fresh start in the Netherlands

We are currently working hard to bring the lioness Zora to FELIDA. Zora is a five-year-old lioness who was being kept illegally in private ownership in the Czech Republic by a former MMA fighter. Illegal private ownership The Czech authorities discovered that he did not have the correct paperwork to keep Zora legally. They therefore recently seized the lioness and have temporarily placed her at Liberec Zoo.

FOUR PAWS has a strong and productive partnership with the Czech authorities, who are taking firm action against the illegal keeping of wild animals in the country. They asked for our help in finding a new permanent home for Zora where she is assured of specialist care. That new home will be FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary, in Friesland.

Specialist care at FELIDA 
Our sanctuary specialises in caring for traumatised big cats with mental and/or physical problems. We do not yet have a clear picture of Zora’s potential health issues, as we did not have access to the enclosure where she was being kept. Once she has settled in at FELIDA, she will undergo a full medical check-up.

What we do know is that Zora has been declawed, a painful procedure in which the front metacarpals, including the claws, have been completely removed. It is well known that declawing causes serious medical problems. The procedure damages important muscles and tendons in the legs that ensure proper weight distribution whilst walking. This leads to long-term problems such as osteoarthritis, chronic pain and nerve damage. At FELIDA, we can provide Zora with the specialist care she needs to lead as full a life as possible.

Ending the commercial trade in and private ownership of big cats like Zora is not the first big cat to come to FELIDA thanks to our close cooperation with the Czech authorities. In 2025, the lion cub Mero and the tiger Tajmir also arrived in the Netherlands. Both were also victims of illegal private ownership and the trade in big cats.

We oppose the commercial trade in and private ownership of big cats and want both to be banned. Animals such as lions, tigers and bears are not suited to being kept as pets. They require specialised care, nutrition and enclosures. In the wild, these animals have vast territories and walk tens of kilometres a day. They do not belong in cramped cages in someone’s back garden where they cannot display their natural behaviour.

Thanks to the specialised care they are receiving at FELIDA, Mero and Tajmir have already made enormous progress. We hope that Zora will soon follow in their footsteps.