After his first operation Jon is starting to live again!

A lion almost back to full health!

In ten days Jon has really picked up. His ribs are no longer visible under his fur and he is much livelier than when we rescued him from the circus where he had been exploited for several years. The twenty kilos he has put on can also be seen by the skin on his belly, which is starting to fill out. He has made enormous progress in such a short time, which proves that his advanced wasting was definitely not due to age or illness but was a clear indication that he was being starved by the owner of the circus.

His rapid weight gain proves that he was dying of hunger.

Though shy at first, Jon was transformed when he discovered the outer part of his enclosure where he is convalescing. He now plays every day with various things placed in it by the Tonga Terre d'Accueil team to help him rediscover his zest for life. One day it is a big ball, another day tree stumps or a trunk resting on wooden feet. The ultimate secret to stimulate his senses: spices sprinkled around the enclosure, which make him dig in the sand and turn over pieces of bark in search of the source of the smell, which may be attractive or repulsive but is always intriguing. Another sign that he has become more confident: when he arrived he used to urinate on himself but now he does it on the walls (inside and outside!) to mark his territory everywhere.

A mutilated lion finally treated

Jon now digs holes, plays, vocalises more and more and gobbles his food down. The vet therefore reckoned that he was fit enough to be anaesthetised on Thursday 18 June so that his tail, on which we had noted numerous injuries, could be treated. The operation, under a general anaesthetic, went off without a hitch, but the vet had to remove part of the tail in order to stitch it neatly.

The vet also checked and confirmed what we had noted on the first day: Jon had no claws in his front paws. His teeth were also thoroughly inspected: all of them had been cut right down and one of the fangs was completely hollow and filled with putrefied food particles. All the pieces that had become black were extracted. But he has to be operated on again, for his teeth this time, by a specialist. They must have caused him immense suffering, which explains why he spends his time biting things.

Jon rediscovers his zest for life!

On Thursday, once Jon had come round from the anaesthetic, he threw himself on his food before going outside to fall sleep on his back, belly offered up to the sun's rays. Within a few hours he had perked up. Obviously he still bears the stigmata of his life on the road. But we are hopeful that with a life far from the wagon and violent trainers, and with the disappearance of his chronic toothache, his stereotypic movements and self-mutilation will cease.

This lion who just a short time ago was suffering agonies is healing under our protective wing. We shall do everything in our power to enable his companions Hannah, Patty, Céleste and Marli to join him as soon as possible.

Translated by Patricia Fairey