Rescued from a war zone, the lynx reached her forever home

A Eurasian lynx named Ursa stepped onto grass for the first time this week at the Big Cat Sanctuary near Ashford, Kent, then promptly rolled onto her back. She had been found seriously ill in January, illegally kept as a private pet in Kyiv, and moved to a rescue centre while bombs fell nearby. The sanctuary raised $180,000 to evacuate her, a mission staff called high risk, involving border crossings and an active war zone. She flew to Britain in February and waited in a temporary enclosure while a nature-filled one was built. "To see Ursa take her first steps here in Kent was an incredibly emotional moment for the whole team," said Cam Whitnall, managing director of the sanctuary. She now shares the space with other rescued cats, among them a bobcat called Blob. "She is finally in her forever home," Whitnall said.