Fundraiser to secure predator park after lions were found poisoned
The Fernandes family will host a fundraiser in Honeydew this weekend.
Jugomaro Predator Park SA and the Fernandes Family – Justin, Rosa and Goosey – will hold a fundraiser to upgrade the security at their park after four lions were poisoned late last month.
Justin posted emotional videos the night their lions and a tiger were poisoned and the videos quickly went viral. The deaths included one white lion, a golden Tabby tiger and two African lions.
“Our lions have just been poisoned,” he said at the start of the video. “Elvis is already dead. Guys I don’t know what the #$%@ I’m going to do. I can’t believe this! And Kai is also dead. They flippen fed them with poison through the fence.”
Read initial article here: BREAKING NEWS: Watch a park ranger crying heartbrokenly about poisoned lions
He said the other two lions at the park were also already throwing up.
After their deaths, Justin posted another video showing the ‘cremation’ of the animals. The cremation was necessitated by the fear that poachers might dig up the bodies and take them for traditional purposes.
Now the family has decided to invest more in securing their park and needs the help of the community to protect the lions, tigers and other predators they have.
They will hold a fundraiser on 10 June at Rusty Hook in Honeydew. Gates open at 8am with live music, an auction, merchandise, food and drinks for sale on the day. It’ll only cost you R100 to get in and kids under 12 enter at no cost.
Tickets will also be available at the venue’s entrance and online at https://www.quicket.co.za/events/48048-secure-the-jugomaro-cats/#/
More about Jugomaro:
The Fernandes family started their rescue programme with a baby Bengal tiger, 10 years ago in Springs. The family saw the how the big cats were suffering in the hands of backyard breeders, who abused and neglected their charges. They subsequently purchased property near Groblersdal to give the rescued cats a sanctuary. They saved six lions, four of which were white lions’ 10 tigers, one of which is a snow tiger; three caracals, and a pack of Canadian Timber Wolves.
In 2015, due to lack of funding, they lost their farm, which was repossessed by the bank. During the process of moving out, they lost three tigers, a caracal and the whole pack of wolves, due to trauma and an overdose of anaesthesia. The cats had to be moved to a small farm belonging to a friend, and the family lived in a caravan for two years, fighting every day for a better life for their cats.
They could have sold their cats and had a better life for themselves, but they would rather have stayed in that caravan if it meant their cats were safe and cared for. In 2017, a generous donor gave them a farm in Vaal Water, where they could start building a new sanctuary for these majestic beasts.
For more information about Jugomaro visit their Facebook page at Jugomaro Predator Park SA 2.0 or their website at https://jugomaro.co.za/
Some statistics:
• Fewer than 20 000 African lions are left in the wild in South Africa. Some lion farms in South Africa allow canned (trophy) hunting and people never know who is involved in perpetuating the cycle.
• Fewer than 300 white lions are left in the world.
• A mere 33 Golden Tabby tigers are left in the world.
• Only 3 890 tigers of all kinds are left in the world.
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