It began in late 2017, when videos and images were spotted online of a 24-year-old man abusing animals.

Well, as you might expect, a whole lot of animal lovers were horrified at the display and many contacted law enforcement.

Thankfully, authorities acted quickly.

They first pinpointed this evil man’s location and when everyone was set, they raided the apartment in a French suburb of Noisy-le-Sec.

Nobody was home – the criminal had made a run for it – but authorities did find a heartbreaking sight:

They came across a precious wild animal, terrified and locked in a cage!

And when rescuers got a little closer, they realized with a shock that it was a tiny lion cub!

The poor thing was barely a year old and suffered from many cuts and bruises. He was also badly malnourished.

It was such a depressing sight.

But thankfully, a couple animal rescue organizations sprang into action: Fondation 30 Millions d’Amis and Refuge de l’Arche.

They quickly transferred the abused cub to the Natuurhulpcentrum in Belgium, which specializes in rehabilitating big cats.

There, the stricken cub was named King and he rapidly began to improve.

Before long, he had sprouted into an animal well deserving of his name!

That’s when Born Free stepped in with a plan to transfer King to their Big Cat Rescue Centre at the Shamwari Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

That’s where King belonged, after all!

And finally, just last month, the once-abused baby lion flew 6,000 miles and arrived at his new home.

Rescuers were a little nervous about how King would respond to this big, free open world, but he immediately started frolicking about!

It didn’t take long at all for King to join his fellow lions and lead the life he was always meant to live.

From terribly abused and locked in a cage to healthy and free … that’s quite the transformation!

Now, let’s just hope authorities eventually catch that heartless abuser!

Source: Honest to Paws

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