Bulgarians Save Lion Cubs From Zoo 'Death Sentence'

Bulgaria has agreed to send two lion cubs recently rescued from an illegal zoo in the northern city of Razgrad to a rescue centre for big cats in Holland, run by Four Paws International, an animal rights group announced on Friday.

The announcement of the change of heart came amid protests in front of the government building in Sofia against a decision of Razgrad municipality to donate the lions to a zoo in another Bulgarian city, Pazardjk.

The council in Razgrad decided on Thursday to donate the cubs - Therese and Masud - who nearly died in an accident in the local zoo in September, to Pazardjik zoo, although animal rights groups who had saved their lives had already arranged their transfer abroad.

"We will not give the lions Therese and Masud to a zoo! The municipal council in Razgrad decided that instead of living in natural environment and freedom, they will be put behind bars in the Pazardjik zoo. They are doomed to die there," the organizers of the protest wrote on Facebook. 

Over 200 citizens and animal rights activists,  many of them together with their pets, were joined by the country's environment minister, Neno Dimov, shortly after the start of the rally.

He promised to take action to improve the state of Bulgarian zoos and "to change our mentality, so that we do not have animals living like prisoners".

Yavor Gechev, from Four Paws Foundation Bulgaria, thanked the crowd for its efforts and announced to cheers that, after all, the cubs will soon be sent to The Netherlands and after growing up, they would be transferred to South Africa.

The case of the two baby lions sparked an outcry in Bulgaria as it helped exposed the appalling conditions and cruel practices still existing in zoos around the country.