Convoy of Land Rover vehicles transport Simba the lion to new home

An epic journey to return a mistreated lion from Europe to Africa took place recently, with Land Rover Experience and the Born Free Foundation at the heart of the rescue mission.

The lion named Simba was loaded into a wildlife crate approved by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and driven from his temporary home in Belgium to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

Simba's 4,900-mile (7,886km) journey South took him to the Born Free Foundation-supported Lilongwe Wildlife Centre in Malawi. It marked the final chapter in a heartbreaking story of animal cruelty.

Simba was just six months old when he entered the Parc Zoologique du Bouy in France, and two months later, he was acquired by an animal trainer in Vernay. His home became a 'beast wagon' - nothing more than a lorry trailer - and the occasional use of a small outside run.

Fate stepped in when French authorities ordered Simba to be handed over. At the end of 2012, thanks to a concerted effort by Fondation 30 Millions d'Amis, a French non-governmental organisation, temporary shelter was found at the Natuurhulpcentrum, a Belgium wildlife rescue centre.

On arrival at Schiphol, Simba was taken to the animal quarantine centre before boarding an aircraft to Nairobi where the Born Free Foundation's Land Rover vehicles towed Simba to his new home.