The deaths of six of the lions at Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in Vaalwater, Limpopo, prompted an investigation by Animal Defenders International (ADI), which it said revealed "an ugly picture of mismanagement, negligence, drunken rages, inappropriate associations and abuse of staff and volunteers, which put our lions at risk".
The organisation says it no longer has faith in the sanctuary owners and that the surviving 27 lions will be moved to another, secret location in South Africa so they can receive better care.
But sanctuary owner Minunette Heuser said she was completely dedicated to the big cats and would never let them go. She said she would go to court to keep them."I don't know what their fuss is. These lions are safe here and we are protecting them," Heuser told the Sunday Times.
After enduring years of cruelty in South American circuses, a group of 33 rescued lions moved into their new home in Limpopo two years ago to live out their lives in well-deserved comfort.
But their peace has been short-lived.
The animals are at the centre of a bitter row between the international animal rights group that rescued them and the owner of the sanctuary that looks after them.Less than a month after arriving in South African in 2016, two of the lions, Kala and Rapunzel, died after reportedly being fed botulism-infected giraffe meat.
In a letter to its members, ADI founders Jan Creamer and Tim Phillips claim Heuser received a free decaying giraffe carcass from a neighbour and fed it to the lions, despite that fact that ADI had provided money for food for three months.
"ADI transferred emergency funds of $5,000 (about R65,000) to Emoya for veterinary care. The money was used for something else - we had to pay the vet again, direct," they wrote.In June last year, two other lions, José and Liso, were butchered by poachers.
"The external electric fence on the enclosure was inactive [and the] enclosure was ... set back deep in the bush," Creamer and Phillips write."ADI had repeatedly requested that Emoya increase security ... but nothing was done. There were no guards. The police and our own investigators informed us that 'it was an inside job'. In our opinion, José and Liso died as a result of gross negligence on Emoya's part."
In August, another rescued lion died at the sanctuary "due to fighting".
The latest death occurred on Christmas Day when one of the lions, Barbie, was apparently attacked by another lion.OTHER ALLEGATIONS IN THE LETTER INCLUDED:
• ADI sent $13,000 (about R170,000) to Emoya for tents for extra shelter, but the money was never paid to the supplier;
• Thereafter, ADI said it would only pay suppliers direct. Heuser claimed to have found first one, then another, commercial meat supplier but an investigation revealed one was her boyfriend and the other her lawyer. The food bill has increased by 350%;
• ADI's materials and labour were used to build an enclosure for lions coming from another organisation, which were not due to arrive for months; and
• Staff and volunteers raised concerns about Heuser's drinking, drunken rages and racist behaviour.Heuser, who runs the sanctuary with her daughter Savannah, told the Sunday Times they had made improvements, including installing a hi-tech security system.
"Yes, they [the lions] have died. That's unfortunate and we are sad that they've died, they were close to our hearts," she said.
When the Sunday Times drove around the sanctuary, the lions were in enclosures.
Heuser denied ADI had contributed R8.3-million to the sanctuary, or that money for tents had not been paid to the supplier."We are doing this for the lions and we never take their money and use it for our own benefit," she said.
Asked about claims that she had used her boyfriend and then her lawyer to supply meat, Heuser said: "I did discuss the meat with my attorney [and] ... I was dating someone ... who was supplying meat, but we were not an item ..."
She denied that ADI material and labour had been used to build an enclosure for other cats and, while she admitted to enjoying a "glass of wine sometimes", denied mistreating staff.
"I would never hurt another person and strive to treat all people with respect."
She said they would fight ADI.
"There's no way that we will let go of these animals. If they are removing them, we are going to court."..