LOS ANGELES (AP) – About a dozen lions, tigers, cougars and other big cats were returned Wednesday to a sanctuary north of Los Angeles, four days after they were evacuated in the teeth of an advancing wildfire.
Ten to 15 big cats, along with some hyenas and raccoons, returned to the Wildlife Waystation in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles from another animal facility, spokesman Jerry Brown said.
“They’re all making their way home,” he said.
One large cage holding an orange-and-black Bengal tiger was carefully taken off a truck by a crowd of staff members and rolled to a barred enclosure where the feline was finally released.
Martine Colette, the 74-year-old founder of the sanctuary, watched carefully as the cats returned.