Years after Argentina shut a notorious zoo, the stranded animals are finally being rescued

LUJAN, Argentina (AP) — Lions, tigers and bears that managed to survive in substandard conditions at a now-shuttered zoo on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, paced weakly in their claustrophobic cages on Thursday, waiting their turn to receive urgent veterinary care for the first time in years.

The 62 big cats and two brown bears were being evaluated and treated before their eventual transfer to vast wildlife sanctuaries abroad — among the most complex animal rescues undertaken in Argentina after the country's recent arrangement with an international animal welfare organization.

Argentine authorities in 2020 shut down the Lujan Zoo — famous for letting visitors handle and pose for pictures with tigers and lions — over mounting safety concerns.

But the plight of the captive cats there only worsened. For the past five years, the animals were sustained by little more than a few loyal zookeepers who, despite having lost their jobs at Lujan, took it upon themselves to feed and care for the stranded lions and tigers left behind.

Most didn’t make it.

When Four Paws, an animal rights charity, first visited the zoo in 2023, caretakers counted 112 lions and tigers — already down from the 136 big cats housed in the zoo at the time of its closure.

Two years on, almost half of the animals have succumbed to illnesses from poor nutrition, wounds from fights with animals they’d never encounter in the wild, infections from lack of medical attention and organ failure from the stress of living in such cramped conditions.

“It was really shocking,” said the organization’s chief program officer, Luciana D’Abramo, pointing to a 3-square-meter (10-square-foot) cage crammed with seven female lions. “Overcrowded is an understatement.”

Next-door, two Asian tigers shared a tiny cage with two African lions — a “social composition that would never be found in nature,” D’Abramo said. “There’s a lot of hostility, fighting.”

A single lion typically gets 1 hectare (2.5 acres) to itself at Four Paws' sanctuaries around the world.

After striking an agreement with Argentina’s government earlier this year, Four Paws took over responsibility for the surviving wild animals in Lujan last month.

The memorandum of understanding involved Argentina committing to end the sale and private ownership of exotic felines in the large South American country, where enforcement efforts often run aground across 23 provinces that have their own rules and regulations.

Although the Vienna-based organization has previously evacuated starving tigers from Syria's civil war, abandoned bears and hyenas from the war-ravaged Iraqi city of Mosul and neglected lion cubs from the besieged Gaza Strip, it has never rescued such a large number of big cats before.

“Here, the number of animals and the conditions where they are kept make this a much bigger challenge,” said Dr. Amir Khalil, the veterinarian leading the group’s emergency mission. “This is one of our biggest missions ... not only in Argentina or Latin America, but worldwide."

On Thursday, veterinarians and experts from the organization were scrambling around the derelict zoo to assess the animals one by one. Most had not been vaccinated, sterilized or microchipped for identification.

The team whisked sedated lions and tigers onto operating tables, dispensing nutrients, antibiotics and doses of pain medication via IV drips.

The quick checkups frequently transformed into emergency surgeries. One tiger was treated for a bleeding gash in its tail last week and a lioness for a vaginal tumor on Thursday. Several tigers and lions needed root canals to repair infected molars that had been broken on the steel cage bars.

Others received treatment for claws that had grown inward from walking too much on unnatural, plank flooring in the spartan enclosures.

After evaluating each animal in the coming weeks, Four Paws will arrange for their transfer to more expansive, natural homes around the world.

Some Argentine zookeepers who spent decades feeding and caring for the big cats say they're happy to see Four Paws improving the conditions. But there was also a sense of nostalgia for how things were.

“It used to be a very popular place ... I’ve seen people cry because they could touch a lion or feed a tiger with a bottle," said Alberto Díaz, who spent 27 years working with the wild cats at the Lujan Zoo, overseeing hands-on experiences that catered to countless tourists.

“Time changes, laws change, and you have to adapt or get left behind."

A goat looks out from behind a fence at the former Lujan Zoo, which closed in 2020, where in recent days a global animal welfare organization has been treating animals, in Lujan, Argentina, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A lion peers out of a cage at the former Lujan Zoo, which closed in 2020, where in recent days a global animal welfare organization has been treating animals, in Lujan, Argentina, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Members of a global animal welfare organization treat a tiger at the former Lujan Zoo, which closed in 2020, in Lujan, Argentina, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Members of a global animal welfare organization treat a tiger at the former Lujan Zoo, which closed in 2020, in Lujan, Argentina, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Florencia, a brown bear, lies in her cage at the former Lujan Zoo, which closed in 2020, where in recent days a global animal welfare organization has been treating animals, in Lujan, Argentina, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves were missing star Anthony Edwards again.

Their poise was present and accounted for.

With Edwards absent for the second straight game on Sunday with soreness in his right foot, his teammates picked up the slack after a sluggish start — and delivered another steely performance down the stretch on the way to a 117-103 victory over Sacramento.

The Timberwolves outscored the Kings 29-19 over the final 12 minutes, a league-leading eighth time this season they've had a 10-plus-point advantage in the fourth quarter.

“I think our composure down the stretch has gotten a lot better. Our ability to make the right read — and certainly shot making — has helped in those moments,” coach Chris Finch said.

The Timberwolves (17-9), who have won seven of their last eight games, exacted a measure of revenge for their 117-112 overtime loss at Sacramento on Nov. 24 when they blew a 10-point lead with less than three minutes remaining in regulation.

That game came three nights after they fumbled an eight-point lead with 49 seconds left at Phoenix and lost 114-113.

“We talked about how we need to be better in closing games and the themes that popped up,” Finch said, “and guys have done a good job of addressing that.”

Edwards has been considered day-to-day with his availability. Finch said before the game the injury “hasn't calmed down to the point where he's able to go.”

Backup point guard Mike Conley was also sidelined on Sunday, the 19-year veteran's second straight absence due to a right Achilles tendon injury. The short-handed backcourt meant another start for Bones Hyland, who has recently worked his way into a more meaningful role. Then center Rudy Gobert left the game midway through the third quarter for what the team announced as personal reasons.

The absence of the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner down the stretch forced Naz Reid to play the last 20 minutes of the game. The 2024 Sixth Man of the Year award winner finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds and made sure the interior defense didn't collapse without the long arms of Gobert.

“A lot of the times we kind of understand the sense of urgency in the second half,” Reid said. “It’s nice to kind of have that at the end of the game, but I think we just kind of figure it out as the game goes on. As the second half comes, we kind of all-the-way turn it on, which is like not normal, but we’ve been getting the wins.”

Edwards missed four games earlier this season with a strained right hamstring. The three-time All-Star, who is eighth in the NBA with an average of 28.7 points per game, has already tallied his most absences since the 2021-22 season when he played in 72 games.

With the Timberwolves in a slower stretch of the schedule, Edwards could get eight days of rest while only missing the two games. Minnesota hosts Memphis on Wednesday.

“It’s such a bummer, but sometimes it’s good for some players,” Hyland said. “Sometimes it’s just God opening a door for you. You still want to be there for your teammate if he’s injured, be a good person, good teammate, but also step up. When someone goes down, we’re all a team.”

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Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards watches from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, left, and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry speak after an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, center, reacts from the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)