He tried to help her eat and cuddled her ❤️
Leo and Muñeca have known each other for nearly their entire lives. The pair of lions and their children were rescued from a circus in Peru in 2014 by Animal Defenders International (ADI). They were briefly separated during their rescue, but other than that, they were rarely ever apart.
Leo and their sons, Chino, Coco and Rolex, were successfully removed during a raid on the first day of the mission in August 2014, but the circus blocked the seizure partway through and then went into hiding,” Jan Creamer, president of ADI, told The Dodo. “ADI caught up with them six months later and over 600 miles away, saving Muñeca and their daughters, Africa and Kiara … They were almost always together, exploring their 4-acre habitat and resting together under the trees.”
In August, Muñeca suddenly fell ill — and Leo immediately became even more protective over her than he already was.
“Leo has always watched over Muñeca, but when she became unwell, he clearly realized something was wrong,” Creamer said. “He was seen trying to encourage her to eat her food, and appeared to comfort her.”