'Emotional' recovery for lion rescued from Ukraine

Yuna had to make a 1,400-mile (2,253km) journey to get to the sanctuary in Kent

A sanctuary which rescued a lion from Ukraine that was so traumatised she was unable to stand has celebrated a year of her recovery in the UK.

Monday marked a year since Yuna arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent, after being rescued from a concrete enclosure which was bombed just two days after she left.

Yuna's story sparked a £500,000 fundraising campaign that ultimately led to the rescue of four more lions and the construction of a new facility for them.

Cam Whitnall, managing director at the sanctuary, said: "To see her today, walking on grass, playing, and simply behaving how nature intended, is an emotional moment for all of us."

He added: "She's full of personality, loves exploring her new surroundings, and is finally living the life a lion should."

Mr Whitnall said people had come from as far as Australia to see Yuna.

"She is the poster girl for the others," he explained.

"Without her arrival, Rori, Vanda, Amani and Lira would not have been rescued. She was the symbol of hope.

"It's been a global story and the world fell in love with Yuna"

Yuna had severe shell shock, the sanctuary said

The Big Cat Sanctuary, in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Species Survival Commission, has launched a "centre for species survival" dedicated exclusively to wild cats, which it says is the first of its kind in the world.

The sanctuary says it joins a group of just 30 centres worldwide that are positioned as hubs for species conservation, which are strategic partnerships that aim to further species conservation through science, fieldwork and collaboration.