10/17/2026
The Ukraine Pride as they are called consist of 3 female lions, Leysa, Stephania, Prada and 1 male lion named Taras. They were rescued in the fall of 2022.
Lesya, her sister Stefania, and brother Taras had been abandoned at a train station in Odesa, Ukraine during the war and were found zipped up in a duffle bag. As part of the exotic pet trade, they were destined to be sold for profit after being separated from their mother at such a young age.
Dr. Andrew Kushnir, a U.S. vet volunteering there on the ground in Ukraine, contacted IFAW for assistance. IFAW then reached out to The Wildcat Sanctuary to see if they would take them and of course, they said yes! With the help of IFAW and many animal rescuers in Ukraine, the cubs were transported to Kyiv where they met up with another cub named Prada, also abandoned during the war.
With Russia’s increased bombing and drone attacks on Kyiv, it was important to get the cubs to safety fast. They made a 36-hour journey across the border to the Poznan Zoo in Poland. There, Dr. Kushnir and zoo staff cared for the cubs until transportation and permits came through for their trip to the U.S. Thanksgiving Day 2022, founder Tammy Thies flew to Poland to help expedite travel arrangements. Finally, on the last day of November, the cubs cleared customs in Chicago for the last leg of their journey to Minnesota.
Lesya is a very talkative little girl! She’s the smallest and lets her sister Stefania test the waters first. Though she’s apprehensive of new things at first, she warms up quickly. Stefania loves to jump a lot and is always eager to explore new toys or perches. She’s a bit of a showoff to her siblings. Prada, who is 2 months older than the other cubs, was very patient with the others and sets boundaries with them gently. Taras exhibited a very calm confidence and was already in charge of his sisters, though he was still a cub himself. He was the largest of the three cubs and showed his dominance at mealtime, always eating first.
In May 2026, Taras became lethargic and started losing his appetite. Extensive testing, including a lung biopsy and specialist scan in Minneapolis — revealed blastomycosis which is a fungal infection caused by inhaling disturbed soil common in MN. Due to the diligence of his caretakers and them being so tuned into the cats, this was caught early. Taras was separated from his pride and given twice daily IV medications and after he began eating again was switched to oral medications. Not long ago, he was reunited with his pride which was quite emotional.
