I have a strong affection for animals, and I firmly believe that being tethered in the bed of a pickup truck is no place for any animal, particularly a full-grown mountain lion.
However, that was precisely the situation for a mountain lion named Mufasa.
He was a part of a traveling circus in Peru, enduring a miserable existence so people could be entertained and his owner could profit from him.
Even in the present day, many animals endure mistreatment and neglect in circuses, zoos, and other exhibitions. While conditions have improved for some animals in recent years, there is still much progress to be made.
Thousands of unfortunate animals are still confined to cramped spaces, deprived of the opportunity to live fulfilling lives.
Mufasa the mountain lion was discovered chained to the back of a pickup truck in Peru, where he had spent 20 years in a life he neither chose nor deserved.
Fortunately, luck finally smiled upon Mufasa, albeit late in his life. In 2015, Animal Defenders International, an animal rights organization, succeeded in securing his release after months of tireless efforts. Their discovery of Mufasa occurred during their campaign to shut down an entire Peruvian circus.
The taste of freedom made an immense difference in Mufasa’s quality of life. Instead of enduring a existence fraught with stress and oppression, he was granted the fundamental right that all wild animals deserve — the chance to spend his final years in the embrace of nature, living on his own terms.
Continue to next page…