After six years in a cramped cage, the lion found the long-awaited freedom (6 photos + 1 video)

Ruben the lion spent six years alone in a small cage on border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The zoo where the lion was kept belonged to an Armenian businessman who died several years ago back. After diplomatic negotiations, careful preparation and 22-hour flight, the king of beasts begins a new life in the reserve in South Africa.





It all started with a Daily Mail article about a lonely 15-year-old a lion who, out of loneliness, has forgotten how to roar. After the death of the owner all the animals in the zoo were relocated, but there was no new home for Ruben.

British charity Animal Defenders International, with the assistance of Qatar Airlines, organized Reuben's relocation from the tiny enclosure where he had spent his entire life to safe haven in South Africa.



Jan Krimer of Animal Defenders International said: "We were in tears when Reuben came out of his cage and for the first time in walked on the grass of life."





Under such conditions, the animal lived for 15 years.



Lion forgot how to roar after spending six years in an abandoned zoo in a cramped cage



Ruben prepares to fly to freedom



The lion returned to his native Africa