Luna the Panther

Janet Carr

February 4

Coming from Africa as I do, I know that there are very few - if any - of the 'big' wild animals (elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, cheetah etc) living in the wild. They are at so much threat from urbanisation and poaching that they tend to only be found in large game reserves. They live the same way they would in the wild, but fenced in. The Kruger National Park, for example, is the size of Wales and there is no human intervention apart from sometimes filling up waterholes if drought is severe. It's staggering to think how many animals live there as they would in the wild.

Sometimes, however, animals have to be kept in sanctuaries - for example Birds of Eden and Monkeyland in South Africa where former pets and medical research animals can live out their lives in peace and as natural an environment as possible. Shamwari, a large safari reserve near where I used to live, takes in former circus and zoo lions and keeps them separately in a large area where they can roam free but can also be looked after from a distance. They grew up in captivity so they cannot be let into the enormous sanctuary with animals that have spent their lives being wild.

I have never enjoyed circuses or zoos, although these days things have changed a great deal from when I grew up. Circuses usually only feature horses, if anything. And zoos can be amazing - look at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney Australia for example.

This is why I love Luna the panther. Luna is a black panther/leopard, born in a travelling zoo in Siberia. Her mother rejected her shortly after she was born but this was not noticed by the zoo for some days. Victoria had previous experience rehabilitating wild animals, so was asked to take care of her. Luna almost didn't make it and still has multiple health issues so cannot be released into the wild. I have loved watching her grow and interact with her family, especially Rottweiler Venza. Luna is now four years old Many people criticise a wild animal being 'in captivity' but Luna would not survive in the wild. Victoria also knew exactly what to feed her, how to deal with her. Even Rottweilers like Venza need specific handling and training. Not all animals are easy to handle and it is important to remember that.