After years of neglect, dozens of lions, tigers, and bears at the now-closed Lujan Zoo on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, are finally receiving urgent veterinary care.
The 62 big cats and two brown bears, once pacing weakly in cramped cages, are being treated and evaluated before eventual relocation to spacious wildlife sanctuaries abroad. The rescue, led by international animal welfare group Four Paws, follows an agreement with Argentine authorities to end private ownership and sale of exotic felines in the country.
The conditions inside the zoo were shocking. Overcrowded cages forced multiple animals together in unnatural social groups, leading to constant fighting, illness, and untreated injuries. Some lions shared spaces smaller than a typical living room, while tigers suffered untreated wounds, tumors, and broken teeth from the steel cages.
For five years, a few devoted zookeepers cared for the surviving animals despite losing their jobs, but tragically, many did not survive. When Four Paws first visited in 2023, only 112 of the estimated 200+ big cats remained.
Veterinarians are now providing emergency treatment, including IV fluids, antibiotics, dental care, and surgeries. After recovery, the animals will be relocated to sanctuaries offering thousands of square meters of natural habitat, where a single lion can roam freely.
“This mission is one of the largest and most complex we’ve ever undertaken,” said Dr. Amir Khalil, lead veterinarian. “The sheer number of animals and the conditions they’ve endured make this a global-scale rescue.”
Veterans of the zoo recall its tourist-heavy past fondly, but welcome the new care. “Time changes, laws change, and you have to adapt or get left behind,” said longtime zookeeper Alberto Diaz.
The rescue marks a major step toward ending the suffering of exotic animals in Argentina, offering hope for a better life for survivors.
CARLSON’S ACCUSATIONS
After Tucker Carlson claimed the FBI lied about the Donald Trump assassination attempt, the agency responded directly. Carlson questioned the FBI’s statements regarding suspect Thomas Crooks, suggesting the bureau misrepresented his digital footprint. Crooks, charged with attempting to kill Trump at a July campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, ultimately only struck the president’s ear but killed 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore. A Secret Service sniper shot Crooks shortly after, while two others, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were injured.
Carlson said, “The FBI told us Thomas Crooks tried to kill Donald Trump last summer, but somehow had no online footprint. The FBI lied, and we can prove it because we have his posts. The question is why?”
THE FBI RESPONDS
The FBI Rapid Response account pushed back immediately: “The FBI has never said Thomas Crooks had no online footprint. Ever.”
CARLSON DOUBLES DOWN
Carlson later shared a video he claimed the FBI, under director Kash Patel, had tried to hide. The footage, allegedly from Crooks’ Google Drive, showed shooting drills and suggested Crooks maintained multiple online personas and left YouTube comments. Carlson argued that this proved Crooks “was not some secretive lone wolf who never warned anyone that he was planning violence.” He added, “Thomas Crooks came within a quarter inch of destroying this country, and yet, a year and a half later, we still know almost nothing about him or why he did it.”
He accused the FBI of “hiding from the public what they know” and described Crooks as a “volatile, troubled, possibly mentally ill young man with a long record of espousing violence in public.” Carlson claimed the bureau “used a selective read of those comments to lie about what Thomas Crooks was thinking.”
THE FBI SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT
On Friday, Patel released documents and statements that contradicted Carlson’s claims. On X, he wrote: “The investigation, conducted by over 480 FBI employees, revealed Crooks had limited online and in-person interactions, planned and conducted the attack alone, and did not leak or share his intent to engage in the attack with anyone.”
The bureau detailed its investigation, which included examining over 20 online accounts, data from more than a dozen electronic devices, numerous financial records, and over 1,000 interviews plus 2,000 public tips. Patel’s statement reinforced that Crooks acted independently and that the FBI had no record of him openly warning anyone about his intentions.