In the early hours before dawn, a marina in Beirut’s Dbayeh district witnessed a quiet yet extraordinary mission: the rescue of a four-month-old lion cub named Sara, destined for a better life in South Africa. The cub, once exploited as a TikTok prop, embarked on a journey led by the animal welfare organization Animals Lebanon, navigating war-torn skies and waters to reach her new home.
Sara was confiscated from a social media influencer who used her for entertainment. Videos showed the cub, barely a few months old, being carried into gyms and driven around in cars. By the time Animals Lebanon secured a court order to rescue her, Sara bore scars, suffered from ringworm, and had grown into an 80-pound wild animal.
Despite laws against keeping exotic animals as pets in Lebanon, lions and tigers are sold for $10,000 to $15,000, often sourced from substandard breeding programs. Animals Lebanon has long worked to address this issue, rescuing and rehoming dozens of big cats, including four other lions sent to South African sanctuaries last year.
Transporting Sara was no small feat. With the war between Israel and Hezbollah escalating, the group’s usual flight routes were unavailable. Instead, Sara’s journey began with a yacht trip to Cyprus, followed by flights through Dubai and Cape Town, ultimately reaching the Drakenstein Lion Park sanctuary. Videos show Sara exploring her enclosure, where she will live alongside other lions in a natural habitat.
Jason Mier, Animals Lebanon’s American co-founder, and Maggie Shaarawi, his wife and the cub’s caregiver, spent months ensuring Sara’s safety. Shaarawi housed Sara in their small Beirut apartment for two months, caring for her through hand-feeding and daily massages.
“She was the reason I woke up every morning,” Shaarawi said, tearfully bidding farewell as the yacht departed. The decision to use a luxury vessel was pragmatic—cheaper than chartering a conventional boat.
Mier acknowledges the criticism of focusing on animals amidst immense human suffering. Nearly 1 million people in Lebanon have been displaced by the war, and Animals Lebanon also shelters hundreds of pets abandoned during evacuations. Mier argues that aiding animals directly supports affected communities: “We’ve been contacted more than a thousand times since September by people who want our help.”
Sara’s story highlights the broader challenges of wildlife conservation in Lebanon, where animals often suffer due to lack of expertise and poor conditions. Yet, it also underscores resilience and compassion, even amid chaos.
Sara now joins other rescued lions at the Drakenstein Lion Park, where she will live in family groups with space to roam. For the team at Animals Lebanon, this is not just a victory for wildlife—it’s a beacon of hope in a time of despair.
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