Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

Zoo Shut Down & Animals Were LEFT BEHIND, Until Now

Five years after Argentine authorities shut down the notorious Lujan Zoo over safety concerns, 62 big cats and two brown bears that were left stranded in substandard conditions are finally being rescued in one of the most complex animal operations ever undertaken in Argentina. The zoo was famous for letting visitors handle and pose for pictures with tigers and lions, but when it closed in 2020, the captive animals were sustained by little more than a few loyal zookeepers who lost their jobs but took it upon themselves to continue feeding and caring for the abandoned cats. When animal rights charity Four Paws first visited in 2023, they counted 112 lions and tigers already down from the 136 housed at closure, and two years later almost half had succumbed to illnesses from poor nutrition, wounds from fights, infections from lack of medical care, and organ failure from stress. The shocking conditions included seven female lions crammed into a 10 square foot cage, while two Asian tigers shared a tiny enclosure with two African lions, a social composition that would never be found in nature and led to constant hostility and fighting.

After striking an agreement with Argentina’s government that committed the country to ending the sale and private ownership of exotic felines, Four Paws took over responsibility for the surviving animals last month and began emergency veterinary care. Veterinarians scrambled to assess animals one by one, discovering that most had not been vaccinated, sterilized, or microchipped, with quick checkups frequently transforming into emergency surgeries for bleeding gashes, vaginal tumors, infected molars broken on steel cage bars, and claws grown inward from walking on unnatural plank flooring. The Vienna based organization has previously evacuated starving tigers from Syria’s civil war and abandoned bears from war ravaged Iraq, but has never rescued such a large number of big cats before, making this one of their biggest missions worldwide. In the coming weeks, Four Paws will arrange transfers to more expansive natural sanctuaries around the world where a single lion typically gets 2.5 acres to itself instead of sharing cramped cages with incompatible species.

PrevPreviousLibrary Uses Indigenous Teachings To Heal ENTIRE Community
NextThe Wildlife Photographer Whose Quick Call Saved A LifeNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

This New Underwater Fossil Discovery is 512 Million Year Old

February 6, 2026

Paleontologists have unearthed a treasure trove of fossils from 512 million years ago including 90 species previously unknown to science. The discovery comprises 153 different species from 16 major animal groups including sponges, arthropods and bizarre segmented apex predators known as radiodonts that make up a complex food web, dating

Read More
Happy News

What Makes Some Dogs GENIUS Word Learners

February 6, 2026

Scientists have discovered that some exceptionally skilled dogs called gifted word learners can quickly remember the names of toys, and new research reveals the key factor behind their unusual ability isn’t about curiosity but about their relationship with humans. Animal behaviorist Andrea Sommese of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna

Read More
Happy News

How Our Voices Affect Dog Behavior

February 6, 2026

Hearing a human voice can affect a dog more than previously thought as new research suggests that angry or happy voices are linked to measurable changes in dogs’ balance, with angry voices often causing destabilizing effects that physically sway their bodies. Scientists led by Nadja Affenzeller at the University of

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.