5 lions rescued from the war in Ukraine settle into a new life in England

SMARDEN, England (AP) — One malnourished lioness had spent her life confined to an apartment. Another was so shell-shocked she could barely walk.

They are among five traumatized lions rescued from the war zone in Ukraine who are settling into a new home in England after an international effort to bring them to safety.

Male African lion Rori and lionesses Amani, Lira and Vanda arrived this month at the Big Cat Sanctuary after a 12-hour journey by road and ferry from temporary homes at zoos and animal shelters in Belgium. They join lioness Yuna, who arrived in August, at the sanctuary’s new Lion Rescue Center, which officially opens on Tuesday.

All five were found near the front line in Ukraine’s war against Russian invasion, neglected and abandoned by their owners.

“All of these five lions were originally from the illegal pet trade and wildlife trade,” said Cameron Whitnall, managing director of the Big Cat Sanctuary near Ashford, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of London. “None of them came from zoos.”

Yuna was kept in a small brick cell and was shellshocked after missile debris fell near her enclosure. Rori was mistreated in a private menagerie, while sanctuary staff believe siblings Amani and Lira were bred to have their photos taken with tourists as cubs.

Vanda, kept inside an apartment, was malnourished and infested with parasites.

Whitnall says in her new home Vanda, like the others, can “become the lion she deserves to be.”

The lions were saved by the Wild Animals Rescue Center run by Natalia Popova, a Ukrainian woman who has saved hundreds of abandoned pets and zoo animals since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Lions, tigers, leopards, wolves, deer, monkeys and more have passed through her shelter, a converted horse stables near Kyiv.

Hundreds have been sent abroad for treatment and recovery. Whitnall was determined to bring the five lions to Britain, even though the sanctuary had nowhere to put them. A fundraising campaign launched in May 2024 raised more than 500,000 pounds ($650,000) to cover the costs of transportation, veterinary care and building a new home for the cats.

Staff say they are adapting well to their enclosures, which have been designed around each lion’s individual needs. Yuna and Rori, who have coordination issues, got gently landscaped environments where they can’t fall from a height, while sisters Amani and Lira have trees to climb. Vanda, the most playful and confident of the lions, has an enclosure that includes a water feature.

“I’m sure it’s a bit of a journey. We've got more to do, but they are taking everything so incredibly well,” said curator Briony Smith, who looks after the animals. “You can already tell that there is improvement in their care and their welfare and the way that they feel about that.”

Smith and Whitnall are still getting to know their four newest charges. They have already formed a strong bond with Yuna, who had never been on grass until she was rescued.

“She could barely walk,” Whitnall said. “She was suffering from shellshock and concussion. She was so severely bad that they were actually going to euthanize her. But we managed to step in and get her out of the war zone, and she’s just come on leaps and bounds since being here at the sanctuary.

“We’re just so happy with her progress,” said Whitnall, who enjoys feeding Yuna her favorite snack of raw chicken legs. “She’s a beautiful lioness now.”

Video journalist Tom Rayner contributed to this story.

After being rescued from Ukraine, lion Vanda settles into her new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Rori a lion rescued from Ukraine settles into his new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary, near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Rori a lion rescued from Ukraine settles into his new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary, near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Rori a lion rescued from Ukraine settles into his new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary, near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Rori a lion rescued from Ukraine settles into his new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary, near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Rori a lion rescued from Ukraine settles into his new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary, near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Cameron Whitnall watches Vanda a lion rescued from Ukraine, as she settles into her new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary, near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Yuna, a lion rescued from Ukraine growls at a camera as she settles into her new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary, near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Cameron Whitnall feeds Yuna after lions are rescued from Ukraine and settle into their new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary, near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Cameron Whitnall feeds Yuna after lions are rescued from Ukraine and settle into their new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary, near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Cameron Whitnall lion expert is interviewed at The Big Cat Sanctuary after lions are rescued from Ukraine and settle into their new forever home, near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

After being rescued from Ukraine, lion Lira settles into her new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

After being rescued from Ukraine, lion sisters Amani and Lira settle into their new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

After being rescued from Ukraine, lion sisters Amani and Lira settle into their new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

After being rescued from Ukraine, lion sisters Amani and Lira settle into their new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

After being rescued from Ukraine, lion sisters Amani and Lira settle into their new forever home at The Big Cat Sanctuary near Ashford in Kent, England, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — With Jimmy Butler's tailbone still hurting at the end, he came through in remarkable fashion and in every which way despite all the pain.

The Golden State star returned from a one-game absence and rejoined the starting lineup Monday night for a 109-106 Game 4 Warriors victory in their first-round series against the Houston Rockets, limping at times as he led his team one win away from advancing to the Western Conference semifinals.

“More than anything I just wanted to play. This is the best time of the year for everybody, this is why you go through what you go through,” Butler said. “So to be able to miss a game, I don't like it, but I’m back, I'm back in a big way.”

Butler contributed 27 points, six assists, five rebounds, blocked a shot and converted all 12 of his free throws while playing 40 minutes, less than a week after he sustained a pelvic contusion in a frightening fall early in Game 2 last Wednesday.

He converted three free throws with 58.7 seconds left, grabbed the game-clinching rebound with 4 seconds to go and then made two more free throws.

“Tonight was great. He played through the injury, it was beautiful,” teammate Draymond Green said. “But it’s just his presence. What his presence does for this team is humongous. The first three quarters, he couldn’t move. Not sure how he started moving in the fourth quarter, but first three quarters he couldn’t move. Yet he never complained. He stuck with it.”

Butler participated in the morning shootaround earlier in the day and just needed to have a successful warmup to be deemed good to go.

“I thought it was winning time,” Butler said of his play down the stretch, thrilled he began to “move a little bit better.”

Butler played just more than five minutes during his initial stretch and nearly 18 minutes by halftime in a heated game delayed twice in the second quarter by skirmishes that featured four technical fouls and a flagrant 1.

On Sunday, when Butler spent much of the day working with the medical staff, Kerr said Vice President of Player Health and Performance Rick Celebrini couldn't predict how many minutes Butler's body might be able to handle until he's actually back out on the floor in live action.

He said he’s still in “a lot of pain, I’m not going to lie to you.”

“It's a good pain when it's all toward winning. I feel like they got me here to help do something special and if I'm out there on the floor I'm expected to produce and help win, so I'm glad I was able to do that tonight," he said. “... Today I woke up and I was good enough so I was able to go out there and compete.”

The star forward underwent an MRI exam on Thursday in the Bay Area that revealed he injured his pelvis and has a deep gluteal muscle contusion. The Warriors lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and can clinch the first round when the series resumes Wednesday in Houston.

Golden State won 104-93 on Saturday without Butler. With Butler back, Kerr hoped to be able to rest Curry more regularly — but he still played 39 minutes.

Butler went down hard when fouled by Amen Thompson late in the first quarter and then missed the rest of the Warriors’ 109-94 Game 2 loss Wednesday.

Butler tried to secure a rebound when Thompson undercut him and sent the Warriors star’s feet high into the air so that he came down straight onto his tailbone. Both players thudded to the floor and Butler grimaced in pain grabbing at his backside. He stayed in briefly to shoot two free throws before going to the locker room.

Stephen Curry has had the same injury multiple times.

“Injuries are tough, especially in the playoffs, but for him to gut through in the first half and get the wheels going and then get turned up second half both ends of the floor, it's why he is who he is and why he means so much to us," Curry said. “So it was a gutty performance for sure.”

In the Game 1 win against the Rockets, he had 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals in 42 minutes of action. The Warriors are 27-9 since Butler made his debut at Chicago on Feb. 8, including 23-8 in the regular season, a play-in tournament win over Memphis and the games facing Houston.

The Warriors know how much they will need Butler if they want to make a deep postseason run.

“We had to have him. If this were the regular season he’d probably miss another week or two,” coach Steve Kerr said. “But it's the playoffs, he’s Jimmy Butler, so this is what he does. The rebound at the end was just incredible, the elevation, the force then of course knocking down the free throws to clinch it. Jimmy was just amazing.”

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Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) rebounds the ball next to Houston Rockets center Steven Adams, rear, during the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 28, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) rebounds the ball next to Houston Rockets center Steven Adams, rear, during the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 28, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) moves the ball while defended by Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the first half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 28, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) shoots over Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the first half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 28, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) defends against Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Karen Warren)

Golden State Warriors' Jimmy Butler III falls towards the court after being fouled by Houston Rockets' Amen Thompson in 1st quarter of Game 2 of First Round of NBA Playoffs in Houston, Texas on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield (7) checks on forward Jimmy Butler III (10) after a collision with Houston Rockets' Amen Thompson under the basket during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Karen Warren)

Golden State Warriors' Jimmy Butler III writhes in pain after injuring himself in 1st quarter against Houston Rockets in Game 2 of First Round of NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Golden State Warriors' Jimmy Butler III writhes in pain after injuring himself in 1st quarter against Houston Rockets in Game 2 of First Round of NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Injured Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III, middle, reacts from the bench during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets in San Francisco, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, foreground, celebrates with injured forward Jimmy Butler III after Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets in San Francisco, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Injured Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III walks on the floor after Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets in San Francisco, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)