FOUR abused lions have been rescued from a “circus from hell” that left the animals with open wounds and needing tail amputations.
Horrific pictures show the “very distressed” and “scarred” lions – Hannah, Patty, Celeste and Marli – which were rescued from a travelling circus in France.
Lioness Hannah after being rescued from the circusCredit: Newsflash/One Voice/Didier Pazery
Pictures allegedly showing the lions performing at the circusCredit: Newsflash/One Voice
Animal rights organisation One Voice helped rescue the big cats from the Cirque de Paris.
The circus was intercepted in France near the Belgian border a few days after an inspection was ordered by the French authorities after campaigning by the group.
One Voice are now the legal guardians of the four lionesses after the authorities determined that the animals were being mistreated.
The four lionesses were rescued in FranceCredit: Newsflash/One Voice/Didier Pazery
One Voice now have custody for the four lionessesCredit: Newsflash/One Voice/Didier Pazery
The lions appeared to be in poor conditionCredit: Newsflash/One Voice/Didier Pazery
Ms Arnal said One Voice hope new French ecological minister Barbara Pompili will be ready to take action against travelling circuses.
She added: “In the meantime, if we have to rescue these circus animals one by one, we will do it.”
Jon the lion was found utterly emaciated Credit: Newsflash/One Voice
Ms Arnal said the lions had “lots of scars”, with one in particular being “very thin” and “unable to stand up”.
She said “one is very afraid of everything” and it took them “an hour and a half just to get her to leave the transport box” she was in.
The animal rights activist lamented that they gave one “a ball to play with” and she defended it ferociously “because she had never had a toy like that”.
She said “another appeared to discover wood for the first time” and enjoyed scratching it with her claws.