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Tanya and Tarzan had spent their entire lives cooped up in small spaces and performing for others. Luckily, an amazing sanctuary rescued them.

Both Tanya and Tarzan were born in captivity in Guatemala. As cubs, they grew up as part of a circus.

They would suffer terrible abuse at the hands of the circus owners. But at least they had each other. They soon formed a close bond and spent as much time as possible together.

Then one day, Animal Defenders International located them. The rescuers managed to get Tanya and Tarzan away from the circus, along with nine tigers.

The animals had no idea at the time, but their lives were about to get much better.

Soon, Tanya and Tarzan were in a temporary sanctuary in South America.

This would offer them more free space than before (but eventually, they would be in a huge sanctuary in South Africa.)

They arrived at the sanctuary and got to experience a taste of freedom for the first time.

The rescuers opened the cage and stepped back to allow the tigers out.

Tarzan left first and felt grass under his paws for the first time. He was hesitant, not being used to the softness he was now feeling.

Tanya then darted out.

She ran up to the edge of her enclosure to face the other lions through their barriers. Over the years, she had become incredibly protective of Tarzan.

But as the hours passed, they got to enjoy this new space. They had never been able to graze with so much ease.

The sanctuary’s vet then noticed that Tarzan’s teeth were badly infected. The vet had no choice but to perform an emergency dental procedure on the animal.

Luckily, the vet was able to save Tarzan’s teeth and free him from pain.

Soon, Tarzan became much more playful.

Then it was time to fly the lions to South Africa.

The flight required many stops. Luckily, the rescuers were at hand all along the way to keep Tanya and Tarzan calm. They did this by spraying lavender oil around them.

Eventually, the lions landed at their permanent home. The rescuers let them into their huge enclosure.

Tarzan, as usual, was hesitant, stepping out of his cage slowly. But Tanya was soon roaming around, searching all around.

But soon, the two animals both realized that this gigantic space was just for them.

They soon started running through the grass and playing together, just like kittens. They will have many happy years in this ideal environment.

A video of Tanya and Tarzan’s rescue then appeared online. In just over a month, it has managed to gain over 1.4 million views. It also has more than 51,000 likes and 3,300 comments. People have been saying things like this:

Soon, the circus experiences will become distant memories for Tanya and Tarzan. They are so lucky to be able to spend their lives with one another in a huge, happy place.

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Source: The Dodo