2 lions rescued from Mideast war zone offer hope
Amid the heartbreaking reports of atrocities in the Middle East  including chlorine-gas attacks and airstrikes against civilians in Syria  comes a story of hope: Saeed and  Simba   a pair of lions rescued from Syria and Iraq  have been saved from war  relocated to a sanctuary in South Africa.
Saeed  a 2-year-old cub  was abandoned at the Magic World amusement park outside Aleppo as fighting nearby increased.  Simba  was left in the Mosul zoo in Iraq during the height of the ISIS insurgency.
Finally  this week  the lions reached their forever home: the Lions Rock sanctuary in Johannesburg  South Africa  home to 90 other large cats. There   Simba and Saeed  will be able to grow up in a pride  with plenty of socialization and interaction with other lions.
For  Simba   the journey involved multiple false starts.  He  was turned away at the border and returned to the Mosul zoo once. On the next attempt to move  him   the lion was held by government officials for a few days before being allowed to leave Iraq.
Lions Rock staff say  Simba  and Saeed are now working on gaining trust with  their  keepers  learning very basic commands to enter and exit pens for  their  safety and care.
â Simba  started exploring  his  new enclosure and  he  already met  his  new âgirlfriend ââ Van Genne said. âAnd Saeed was very impressed by the new sounds and smells and hearing the other lions roar  and feeling grass under his paw for the first time.â
2 lions rescued from Mideast war zone offer hope
Amid the heartbreaking reports of atrocities in the Middle East  including chlorine-gas attacks and airstrikes against civilians in Syria  comes a story of hope: Saeed and  Simba   a pair of lions rescued from Syria and Iraq  have been saved from war  relocated to a sanctuary in South Africa. Saeed  a 2-year-old cub  was abandoned at the Magic World amusement park outside Aleppo as fighting nearby increased. Simba  was left in the Mosul zoo in Iraq during the height of the ISIS insurgency. Finally  this week  the lions reached their forever home: the Lions Rock sanctuary in Johannesburg  South Africa  home to 90 other large cats. There   Simba and Saeed  will be able to grow up in a pride  with plenty of socialization and interaction with other lions. For  Simba   the journey involved multiple false starts. He  was turned away at the border and returned to the Mosul zoo once. On the next attempt to move  him   the lion was held by government officials for a few days before being allowed to leave Iraq. Lions Rock staff say  Simba  and Saeed are now working on gaining trust with  their  keepers  learning very basic commands to enter and exit pens for  their  safety and care. â Simba  started exploring  his  new enclosure and  he  already met  his  new âgirlfriend ââ Van Genne said. âAnd Saeed was very impressed by the new sounds and smells and hearing the other lions roar  and feeling grass under his paw for the first time. â