A zoo that was home to over 1,000 animals in South America closed, leaving officials and rescue groups scrambling to find new homes for many of them.
A group from Minnesota that specializes in these types of rescues jumped into action and after a long process, and over 7,200 miles of travel, Lucy, a 20-year-old tiger from Mendoza, Argentina, now calls Sandstone, Minnesota home.
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The Wildcat Sanctuary, a 501c3 non-profit, internationally accredited, wild cat rescue organization has been sharing their journey to rescue Lucy from the Argentinian zoo. The journey started in 2018 when the Wildcat Sanctuary took in 7 lions from the same zoo.
In 2021, the Wildcat Sanctuary was once again contacted to see if they could take Lucy, as the facilities at the zoo were not great for the aging cat. And after years of working out the details and planing the transfer, Lucy finally made the trip this week.
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Lucy was driven from the zoo to an airport in Buenos Aires, an over 12-hour drive, she was then loaded onto an airplane for a flight to New York City. Wildcat Sanctuary executive director Tammy Theis and veterinarian Dr. Campbell were there to meet her.
Lucy was once again loaded into a van for the final leg of her long to journey to her new forever home. Lucy was introduced to her new home yesterday morning at the Wildcat Sanctuary and is spending her first full day today experiencing things like grass and trees for the first time.
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