Three lionesses, left depressed and starving in tiny cages at an abandoned zoo in Armenia, could start a healthy new life in Wales thanks to a fundraising campaign launched by Manor Wildlife Park’s Anna Ryder-Richardson.

Anna first saw the story of the animals, Mery and her two daughters, Gita and Zita, when a national newspaper exposed the scandal of how they were deserted by an Armenian oligarch who had kept them for his own amusement.

She said: “The conditions these animals had been left in were so appalling that I decided I had to help. It’s been agreed that we can get them out of Armenia, but we need to pay for their safe transport and quarantine at Manor Wildlife Park.”

The Worldwide Veterinary Service has successfully moved the lionesses to purpose-built facilities in Armenia where they are receiving constant health care and food. but this is a temporary measure. They are still in cages and need to be brought to their quarantine facilities at Manor Wildlife Park, where they will be free to roam a large enclosure.

The safest way to transport them is by air, so Anna’s conservation charity, The Nature Foundation, has committed to raising the £25,000 it will cost through a Just Giving appeal.

Bringing the lionesses out of Armenia will end the years of abuse and neglect they have suffered. The long term aim is to create a permanent home for them at Manor Wildlife Park’s sister zoo, Peak Wildlife Park.

Anna Ryder-Richardson is calling on all animal lovers to play a part: “These beautiful creatures have known terrible suffering and we can end that now if we all give what we can. Please help us to give Mery, Gita and Zita a future.”

The Nature Foundation has named its campaign #ROAR - Reach Out And Rescue - and fundraising has already begun. For further details and to make a donation, please go to www.tnf.foundation