Tiger and Lion Saved From Typhoon-Ravaged Saipan Zoo

Charity Samaritan’s Purse transported a tiger and lion to a Colorado animal sanctuary on December 4 after their home, a zoo on the Pacific island of Saipan, was severely damaged by typhoons.

North Carolina-based Samaritan’s Purse flew a male African lion named Lambert and the Siberian tiger named Tasha in its DC-8 aircraft to the The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado. The American NGO had been involved in shipping emergency aid to Saipan in the aftermath of Typhoon Yutu, which slammed into Saipan in late October, when US officials requested its assistance in relocating the underweight animals.

Tasha and Lambert had lived at the Saipan Zoo but the facility closed to the public in 2015 after sustaining damage during Typhoon Soudelor. "A local family who owned the zoo has been caring for these animals, but they are running out of necessary resources,’ said Samaritan’s Purse’s in a statement. Credit: Samaritan’s Purse via Storyful