Lioness reunited with her three cubs at Yorkshire Wildlife Park after escaping bombs in Ukraine

Lioness mum, Aysa, 4, spent nine months separated from her 18 month old cubs Emi, Santa and Teddi in a holding facility in Poland where they were confined without being able to see the sky.

They all arrived after a 2,000-mile journey across Europe last month from Poznan Zoo and rangers began the painstaking process of safely reuniting the family.

Once they arrived at their new home, the cubs and their mum remained separated through a mesh parting, but the family has now finally united once again.

A Facebook post on the official Yorkshire Wildlife Park page read: “From Donetsk to Doncaster: Lions Aysa, Teddi, Emi & Santa are taking it all in their stride and enjoying every minute of their new life here at #YorkshireWildlifePark.”

Deputy head of carnivores at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Colin Northcott, said: “We are very pleased with how quickly the lions have settled in - we expected a lot of noise and apprehension, but none of that has happened and things have gone much quicker than anticipated.

“I am so proud of these lions. They are finally together and I’m like a proud dad.

“On my first visit to their temporary accommodation in Poland, the lions were very timid and scared of every bit of noise. They could not see their surroundings at all.

“We expected them to be incredibly nervous here but they have settled down so fast and I am very pleased.

“Teddi was first to be introduced to his new home, and he was out of his crate within seconds. Emi was next, taking a little bit longer. Santa was third, and although she took much longer to get used to her surroundings, she did eventually settle in. Mum Aysa was the last to leave her crate - she was very relaxed and came out straight away. It is almost like she has been here her whole life.

“As soon as Aysa was in her den she immediately started exploring, looking up at the sky and watching the birds go by. These new surroundings are a world away from Poland: there is a lot more noise and commotion, but importantly the lions can see everything that is going on around them and where the noise is coming from. This doesn’t seem to scare them as much.

“After close monitoring, we decided to introduce the cubs firstly through a mesh parting, and then reunited the family together in one den.

“Emi was the first to reunite with her mother, as she was the one who cuddled up to her mum the most when they were still separated. We all thought she would cause the least issue because she is so submissive. But when Emi went in, mum’s first reaction was to kind of shout at her and put her in her place. But after a few minutes they settled in really nicely.

“Santa, the larger female lion, was then introduced, and there was again some tension because the situation was new for all of them, but that also soon settled down. Teddi was last to join the family, and as the good boy that he is, he settled in extremely well.

“We are very pleased to say that all four lions are now together as one family unit living very happily. Within the first hour we had all four lions together.

“It’s astonishing to see them go from those scared, cowering lions in Poland to head rubbing each other throughout the day. It does look like a long-lost family get-together. They are one happy family.”