My Z News

The only things that belong in the back of a rusty old pickup truck are fishing rods, tools, and/or some old blankets. Suffice it to say, it’s absolutely no place for any living thing to call its home, let alone a full-grown mountain lion. Used to roaming over hundreds of miles of mountainous woodlands, they’re not exactly built for confinement.

Sadly, those are exactly the conditions that a mountain lion named Mufasa found himself in for over 20 years. He’s believed to have been born in the wild somewhere in South America, but was likely taken from his mother at a very young age and sold into captivity to an illegal Peruvian circus. The majority of his life has been spent on the road, either performing or being kept under heavy chains.

Thankfully, Animal Defenders International (ADI) caught wind of this situation. Peru has recently put a ban on illegal circuses such as the one Mufasa was part of, but now the task remains to enforce that law. Working off of a tip from local officials, ADI found Mufasa locked up in the back of a rusty pickup truck. After a lengthy standoff, they were finally able to rescue him, and his reaction to his first taste of freedom is absolutely heartwarming.

Don’t forget to SHARE this touching rescue with your family and friends.

H/T: Animal Defenders International

Read more: http://www.wimp.com/circus-lion-rescued-from-two-decades-of-misery/