Trip to the dentist for Five Sisters lions rescued from conflict in Ukraine

Their Education Officer, Adam Welsh, told me their education programme attracted over 10,000 participants during the months of May and June alone, surpassing all previous records. Universities, schools and nurseries have all taken part in organised visits. The programme is tailored to meet the needs of universities and the schools are linked to the curriculum for excellence.

Lionesses Luna and Plusza, who were rescued from conflict zones in Ukraine, in their new home at the Five Sisters Zoo near Polbeth, West Lothian (Picture: Five Sisters Zoo/PA Wire)

A new education facility is nearing completion in time for Christmas and will comprise of two classrooms, a meeting space and an office for the education team. It will be solar powered and will harvest rainwater, making it self-sufficient. This new facility bears (pun intended) testimony to the success of their education programme and it is hoped that it will attract even more participants next year.

There has also been a great deal of activity in other aspects of the zoo’s work. Gary Curran, Head Carnivore Keeper, told me that the two lionesses that were rescued from a war zone which had been heavily shelled in Ukraine recently needed some remedial dental work. Gary said that it seems that the stress they felt in Ukraine caused them to bite on the bars of their cages which seriously damaged their teeth, which the zoo successfully attended to.

Interestingly, they were thought to be twin sisters but the veterinary dentist who carried out the root canal work said that one was a bit older than the other leading to a realisation that they were actually mother and daughter. Now both have fully recovered and are thriving in their new environment.

Gary told me that sometimes the animals that they rescue are unfortunately held in rescue centres for lengthy periods that don’t have the facilities that meet the animal’s needs so Five Sisters goes to great lengths to rehabilitate them and ensure that they are given the best of care, which sometimes requires a great deal of time and effort-but time and effort well spent.

The zoo is constantly fundraising as it spends £50,000 per week to stay functioning and part of the fundraising drive is the establishment of a winter programme of events, running from November through December. Tickets can be purchased for entry in the evening when the zoo is lit up by a series of eye-catching illuminations.

As I have written before, The Five Sisters is more of an animal rescue centre than a zoo. It opens its doors to the public and displays its animals to help fund its work, rescuing animals whose future is uncertain to say the least. It not only demands money but also a great deal of self-sacrifice from the founders of the zoo, Brian and Shirley Curran. I wish them nothing but the best for the future.

Find out more at fivesisterszoo.co.uk