Rupert finds home with lions
2009-04-30
Lise Beyers
THE young orphaned lynx, which spent the first few months of his life on a farm after being saved on Paarl Mountain, has found a new home at the Drakenstein Lion Park. Rupert, as the youngster was christened by his human parents, was one of three cubs who were left to fend for themselves, after their mother was shot in Agter Paarl. The cubs were taken in by a farm worker as pets, but here their condition deteriorated. Fortunately they were rescued and taken to the Cheetah Outreach at Spier near Stellenbosch. All the cubs were in an extremely poor state of health and two of them died shortly after their arrival at the centre. Rupert was hanging onto his life, with numerous broken bones due to the poor nutrients that the cubs were fed by the farm worker. The Cheetah Outreach Centre in turn looked for a home for Rupert, where he could be nursed back to health, and this is how he ended up at Butterfly World in Klapmuts, were Cam Newton took him into his home. But as with all wild animals, they cannot by domesticated permanently, and now that Rupert had regained his strength, he has found a home amongst his more ferocious ancestors at the Lion Park. Unfortunately Rupert will not be able to be released into nature, because he does not know how to hunt or fend for himself. And there is also the possibility that he may, like his mother, end up in the sights of a rifle. Paul Hart of the Lion Park has built a special enclosure for the lynx, and currently Rupert is battling to adjust to his ‘wild’ environment, after having grown up in the lap of luxury. “But”, say’s Hart, “he will soon adjust to his new home. We are also keeping our eyes open for another lynx who may be in need of a sanctuary to keep Rupert company.”
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