Target: Daniel Scioli, Secretary of Tourism, Environment and Sports of Argentina
Goal: Order the urgent relocation of all lions, tigers and bears reportedly still confined at the closed Luján Zoo to accredited sanctuaries and support a national ban on private big-cat keeping and trade.
Even though Luján Zoo was shut in 2020 after serious welfare concerns, more than 60 animals apparently remained on-site for years without proper space, enrichment or specialized care. Veterinarians now on the ground in Buenos Aires province reportedly found lions and tigers kept in cramped, overcrowded enclosures and two brown bears confined alone. Some of the big cats are said to require critical attention. That these animals were apparently left in limbo after closure shows how vulnerable captive wildlife becomes when facilities are shut without a permanent exit plan.
The current emergency mission, led by experts including Dr Amir Khalil and Luciana D’Abramo, is sedating each animal, examining them in a temporary field unit, and even performing emergency surgeries when needed. Yet this is only a stopgap. The old zoo’s infrastructure, by the NGO’s own account, is small, worn and unfit for long-term housing of apex predators. Keeping multiple adult lions or tigers together in undersized pens increases stress and injury risk. Until all of them are moved to species-appropriate sanctuaries, these animals will continue to live in conditions described as inadequate by those now caring for them.
Argentina now has a rare opening. The July 2025 memorandum of understanding between the government and Four Paws expressly allows the NGO to advise authorities, assess big-cat living conditions and collaborate on relocations. That authority should be used to its fullest. Sign below to demand that all remaining big cats and bears from the former Luján Zoo be transferred to reputable sanctuaries in Argentina or abroad, and that national rules be tightened so that private ownership and trading of big cats that helped create this backlog are phased out. A decisive order from the ministry will show the country is serious about never repeating Luján.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Scioli,
Recent reports from Four Paws and the Environmental Control Brigade indicate that dozens of lions, tigers and bears continue to live at the former Luján Zoo even though the facility was closed in 2020 over animal welfare concerns. The NGO’s veterinary mission describes small, overcrowded enclosures, groups of large felines housed together inappropriately, and individual animals needing urgent medical attention. Experts on-site have said plainly that the safety, health and welfare of these animals are a serious concern.
Your ministry has already taken an important step by signing the July 2025 memorandum that allows Four Paws to act as a neutral consultant, manage daily care, and prepare relocations. That framework should now be used to finish the job. These animals have reportedly spent years in a holding pattern. They should not be made to wait through yet another season in enclosures that were never designed for lifelong, dignified care of big cats.
We therefore respectfully urge you to issue a clear directive that: all remaining lions, tigers and bears from the former Luján Zoo must be relocated, without delay, to accredited, species-appropriate sanctuaries in Argentina or partner countries; that Four Paws and other qualified bodies be empowered to coordinate and finance these transfers; and that your office advance national measures restricting private ownership and trade in big cats so situations like Luján cannot recur. A firm, public decision from your ministry will protect these particular animals and signal that Argentina intends to become, as Four Paws suggested, a regional leader in big-cat protection.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Miguel Mendez
