From the archives: This story was last updated in July 2019.
After being chained to the back of a pickup truck amidst rusty circus equipment for two decades, Mufasa the mountain lion finally regained his freedom. This emotional moment of Mufasa being freed by wildlife activists and returned to the Peruvian forest was captured on film.A rusty pickup truck is no place for any living creature to spend days and nights in. So, imagine living chained up in a rusty steel truck with no room to move, zero privacy, and constantly being subjected to the whims of others.
As part of a Peruvian roadside circus, Mufasa the mountain lion lived chained up in the back of a rusty pickup truck for 20 years. The full-grown mountain lion sat patiently on the truck, enduring the stares of onlookers, all while being chained up in a cramped, rusted truck bed.
Peru banned wild animals in circuses, but that didn’t stop most circuses from including them in their shows. Mufasa was believed to be the last wild animal to be held captive in a Peruvian circus.
Forced to live in the unnatural habitat where he had limited space to exercise his muscle or to run around, Mufasa looked rather distressed and weak. His face longing for freedom is just heartbreaking. It’s terrible to see the lion, believed to be taken from the wild as a baby, suffer.
Fortunately, in April 2015, Animal Defenders International (ADI), an organization that focuses on animal rescues, came to Mufasa’s rescue.
After a dramatic eight-hour standoff between ADI and the circus operator that involved riot police in a remote village in northern Peru, the circus—Circo Koreander—was shut down and Mufasa was finally released from his chains.
Just imagine how light and refreshing it must feel to be finally free of that thick, heavy harness and chains that had wrapped around his neck for two decades.
The elderly big cat looked seemingly puzzled the moment rescuers cut him free from his chains. His face says it all. He’s in disbelief.
Mufasa was then moved to a temporary cage to be transported to ADI’s Spirit of Freedom rescue center near Lima to rehabilitate.
After Mufasa’s health improved, he embarked on a three-day journey by road and boat to his new home situated on the edge of the Tambopata reserve in the Amazon rainforest.
However, the mountain lion was totally unsuited to life in the wild. “He had endured too much to be released into the wild, so ADI built him an enclosure at a sanctuary in the Peruvian forest,” ADI explained.
Since then, the big cat lived at the sanctuary in his natural environment where he was cared for by professionals. After being held captive for two decades, Mufasa’s paws could finally feel the soft hay massaging his skin. He could stretch his muscles and sleep soundly on comfortable ground.
Sadly, just eight months after Mufasa regained his freedom, he passed away in December 2015.
It’s heartwarming to witness the poor circus lion walk to its freedom and return to its true home in the forest. Even if it was only for a few months, Mufasa did get to live the rest of his days the way any wild animal should: in nature, free, and peacefully.
