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

Rockstar Proves Compassion Matters More Than Secrecy

February 4, 2026

Rockstar Games has reportedly granted early access to Grand Theft Auto 6 for a terminally ill fan who was given only six to twelve months to live after battling cancer, proving that even one of gaming’s most secretive companies will make exceptions when compassion calls. The heartwarming story began when

Read More
Happy News

Cat Finally Came Home After FOUR YEARS

February 4, 2026

Four years after losing her beloved cat Tinsel in December 2021, Maggie DeGreenia from Vermont was lucky enough to find her again through a local shelter’s website thanks to her cousin recognizing Tinsel’s distinctive mustache marking that everyone knew right away. The 27 year old had tried everything when Tinsel

Read More
Happy News

This Artist Covered Rent For His Grandmother’s Building

February 4, 2026

ASAP Rocky covered rent for every tenant living in his grandmother’s Harlem apartment building on 140th and Lennox following the release of his fourth album Don’t Be Dumb, partnering with payments rewards program Bilt to give back to the community that shaped him into who he is today. The rapper

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.