A four-day mission to rescue a lion and a wolf from war-torn Ukraine had a happy ending with the two zoo animals “settling in well” in Romania, Tim Locks – a British war veteran who spearheaded the rescue operation said.

 According to reports, the 45-year-old Iraq veteran, had been delivering aid in Ukraine when he heard about the plight of the animals from a conservationist at his hotel.

He embarked on a mission to save the two animals, driving from Lviv to Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where the lion and the wolf were kept in a zoo, along with two companions.

In the remarkable rescue operation, which Mr Locks documented on Facebook, the animals were transported to neighbouring Romania in the back of a minibus.

The lion, Simba, and the wolf, Akela, were driven almost non-stop until they reached the Romanian border. Then, as the final leg of their journey, the animals were taken to a zoo in the north-eastern city of Radauti in Romania.

Mr Locks shared update on the animals saying: “Simba and Akela are settling in well. Both are eating and drinking plenty and enjoying some chill time after the long journey.”   –ndtv.com