These Peruvian circus lions could be headed to a new life in Colorado

LIMA, Peru — Seeing the big cats at the circus used to be one of the biggest thrills of childhood.

Not anymore, as humans increasingly become aware of the misery that the spectacle inflicts on the lions, tigers, and other performing animals, not to mention the squalid conditions they are often kept in.

Peru has become the latest nation to crack down on wild circus animals, with authorities seizing six lions from the Monaco Circus, based in the Andean city of Cuzco, in two raids this month.

The rescue operation came just days after one of the cats, named “Smith,” attacked a visiting teacher in front of her students when a lion act went horrifically wrong. The teacher, mercifully, was able to walk away after Smith released her.

“They’re not in great shape and weren’t being looked after properly,” said Jose Rafael Vilar, a consultant to Animal Defenders International (ADI), the nonprofit that coordinated the raid with Peruvian authorities.

“Their cages were tiny, they haven’t been fed properly or given the veterinary care they need, and there’s also obviously been an issue with safety.”

Several of the lions were seriously malnourished, while two were actually fat due to the lack of exercise in their cramped cages. One had no teeth and several had open wounds.

Looking after the animals is no joke. Male lions can weigh 600 pounds and need an average of around 20 pounds of meat a day.

The animals are now being assessed at a temporary refuge in the capital, Lima, along with another six lions seized previously.

The government is deciding what to do with them, but they are likely heading to Colorado’s Wild Animal Sanctuary, the only place in the world equipped to allow rescued big cats to roam free in natural conditions over extensive terrain.

The sanctuary took 29 lions rescued by ADI from Bolivian circuses back in 2011. It now has 160 of its 720 acres set aside for the Peruvian cats, which are thought to have been bred in captivity in Latin America.

“We’ll need to keep them separated from the other animals at first, but as time goes by we should be able to merge them into the existing prides,” says sanctuary Executive Director Pat Craig.

“This is their best option. They can’t be released into the wild; they don’t know how to hunt and are too used to being around humans. And there’s no space for the ones already in the wild anyway [thanks to humans encroaching on their habitat].”

According to ADI, 29 countries around the world, from Taiwan to several Latin American nations, including Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru, now have blanket bans on performing wild animals.

Many more are now debating the issue, including the United States, where Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) has introduced the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act, which would ban circus animals.

ADI estimates there are around 35 big cats still performing in Peruvian circuses, and plans to continue working with Peru’s Forest and Wildlife Service to rescue them.

As for parents wanting their kids to see these alpha predators in the flesh, that will still be possible, in Colorado. Visitors to the sanctuary can view the lions from the safety of walkways high overhead, as the animals roam across their new home.