Rescued circus lion sees grass for the first time

[Catherine]

This is such a beautiful video. The lion takes such joy in being rescued from the circus and delivered to a safe place where he can enjoy life.
He looks like an old lion, but hopefully he will have a few happy years.

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/rescu...-in-years/

Just rolling on the grass makes him so happy. It is not often you get to see such happiness and wild joy in being alive.

[Tobi]

That is one of the most beautiful videos I have ever seen. Such joy. You can see the toll his life has taken on him, but a spirit in him that is just going to love his last years so much! I am so glad this happened.

[Catherine]

Even if he only has a few short years left, they can be the most wonderful experience for him. I just loved the video. How often do you get to see such joy.
I am so glad people are rescuing animals like that.

[Cibach]

That's just lovely!! I remember seeing something similar on a program on Animal Planet, about a bear. He'd been kept in a tiny cage and given water straight from a hose. They gave him a tin bath full of water in his new cage and the first thing he did was climb in a get as much of himself under the water as he could!!
There was a tiger from the same place and his cautious and then hugely joyous approach to grass was tear jerkingly moving to watch.

[JasonW]

Wonderful! It's lovely seeing an animal taste a bit of freedom after such a terrible life.

[Catherine]

I hope some day we can free even more animals to walk on grass for the first time.
It was a beautiful response to freedom.
I love the idea of the bear actually getting into the water. Bears like water. He must have felt such joy.

Right now most pet turtles are kept in small unsuitable containers. Some can't get out of the water and sun themselves, others do not have enough water to swim in. When you see one of these turtles getting to swim for the first time it makes you want to laugh and cry.
However animals are kept they need to be free to express natural behavior such as swimming or flying.

My Dove cage is big enough for them to fly in. I was told my cage is too big. It is big enough for them to be birds and live like birds. I even put their food on the cage floor since they are ground feeders. They don't like a dish. There water is a floor level because that is what works for a dove.