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Two African lions that were rescued in Ukraine bid farewell to Alicante

Lions

After two and a half years of rehabilitation at the Primadomus rescue centre in Villena (Alicante), two lions, male Sem and female Liena, who were three and five years old when the European animal welfare organisation AAP rescued them from the war in Ukraine, are headed to their forever home at the Isindile Big Cat & Predator sanctuary in South Africa.

In October 2022, they were discovered “completely abandoned” in the Donetsk region and brought to the AAP rescue centre in Spain. They received initial aid at the shelter near Kyiv from the Ukrainian organisation Wild Animal Rescue, which was “aware of the need to seek suitable rescue centres outside the country due to the conflict situation, the lack of adequate facilities, and the stress caused by the proximity of the war front.”

In particular, the animals were stressed by the surrounding gunfire and shelling, which drove them to strike the bars and gates of the Ukrainian animal sanctuary, the AAP said in a statement.

Together with two other lions, they reached AAP Primadomus in Villena after travelling more than 3,600 kilometres. In these 3,000-square-meter facilities, they have gradually been able to move past the scars of their past. They have gone from being traumatised animals that would hide in the vegetation at the slightest sound and constantly growl to others who are finding peace and learning to use their senses to find food.

Develop your instincts


Both of them “have regained their peace ,” according to the AAP, “which has allowed them to return to optimal condition and the opportunity to socialise with each other, thus helping with their physical, social, and behavioural rehabilitation .”

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Both lions received specialised care from the organisation, which has since located “the best place for the animals to spend the rest of their lives.” This is South Africa’s Isindile Big Cat & Predator Sanctuary. Their demands will be met by a 10,000 m² facility in the middle of nature where they can live “a dignified life and develop their wild instincts.”

After rehabilitation, the organisation seeks a “permanent home” for these animals “in renowned sanctuaries and zoos,” according to Pablo Delgado, director of the Villena rescue centre and head of the AAP Big Cats area. This is done in order to provide other specimens in need of assistance with “the opportunity to come to the rescue centre to recover from their past.”

A voyage of this kind necessitates meticulous planning. The animals must be acclimated to their boxes in order to reduce any stress the trip may create, in addition to all the licenses and paperwork needed for a transcontinental trip.

More animals who have been rescued


The AAP in Ukraine has rescued more animals besides Sem and Liena. Since the conflict began, 12 animals—nine lions, one monkey, one leopard, and one wild dog—the majority of which were owned privately in the nation, have been able to find “a safe place to recover at the organization’s facilities” in Spain.

“The organization’s rehoming partners have found a permanent home for nearly all of them, who are now fully recovered. Sadly, the issue of exotic animal ownership as pets is not specific to nations like Ukraine. The AAP highlights that one of the biggest marketplaces for exotic pets worldwide is the European Union, which has an impact on biodiversity, public health, and pet welfare.

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According to the organisation, some of these creatures “end up, hopefully, in rescue centres like those run by AAP, where Sem and Liena have been given a second chance to recover their lion form.”

“At AAP, we will continue working to achieve better regulation of the ownership and trade of exotic pets throughout Europe, to prevent more animals from suffering an uncertain fate, living a life of suffering they should never have been forced to endure,” says the group.

Credit: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aapprimadomus

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Costa Blanca

Arrests for intimidating witnesses

Alicante National Police

Three men have been arrested by National Police for threatening and abusing two young men in order to persuade them to change their testimony during a police inquiry.

The police inquiry began after a young man complained to officers that he had been beaten and intimidated by three acquaintances in order to induce him to withdraw a statement he had given to police in Benidorm on an investigation in which they were involved.

One of the attackers recorded the attack on a cell phone and threatened to use a knife to harm the victim’s buddy who was present at the time to prevent him from intervening.

Days before the incident, one of the perpetrators sent the victim many threats via a mobile messaging app, threatening to attack her if she did not change her statement. This made the victim extremely apprehensive and fearful of encountering these people on the street.

Another victim was attacked for the exact same reason


During the inquiry, authorities discovered a second complaint from another victim who had been threatened to falsify his statement before being surprised on the street and assaulted by a man who was also connected to the Benidorm investigation into the other accused.

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Once all of the information about the incident had been gathered, officers from the Alicante Northern District Police Station’s Judicial Police group conducted a series of checks, which resulted in the complete identification of the three perpetrators of the first attack, as well as the perpetrator of the second victim. All of them were men aged 20 to 22.

Officers eventually discovered three of the perpetrators, who were arrested for alleged bodily harm and obstruction of justice.

Agents are working to locate and apprehend the other suspect in the event.

Following police investigations, the inmates were hauled before the Alicante Court of First Instance for duty.

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Santa Pola Local Police arrested man for smashing 27 wing mirrors

Santa Pola Local Police Mirror Smash

Santa Pola Local Police arrested a man for reportedly smashing and striking the wing mirrors of at least 27 cars parked in the downtown area of the coastal town.

The incident occurred on Saturday 22nd March, about 5:00 a.m. A police unit was dispatched to the scene after witnesses called in a report.

Officers spotted the man along the streets specified by the neighbour who phoned police and discovered that he had injuries to his hands that could have been caused by striking objects such as the rearview mirrors of those cars.


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Costa Blanca

Marcin, the Manchester butcher who attempted to hide in Alicante

Alicante, the province with the biggest concentration of non-Spanish people (27%), is a red sign for international criminals looking to conceal their activities. One of them could have been a dismembered butcher who, if not apprehended in Manchester, would be roaming the streets of Alicante.

Marcin Majerkiewicz’s case startled the English city with its ferocity. The 42-year-old Pole was recently convicted guilty of murdering, dismembering, and dispersing his roommate’s body throughout Manchester last year.

Manchester Crown Court concluded that Majerkiewicz murdered Stuart Everett, 67, before dismembering his body into 27 pieces and depositing his remains in various areas throughout Manchester and Salford over the course of a week in an attempt to conceal his crime.

Majerkiewicz was unemployed with 60,000 euros in debt, an obsession with violent horror, and a tattoo of the slasher film character Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th.

This gory incident almost brought Alicante into the picture, as it was discovered that the killer had been looking online for rental properties in the province to escape his troublesome life in the United Kingdom before being arrested.

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Everett, whose parents were Polish, taught English to Polish immigrants, and Majerkiewicz was among his students. In 2017, he moved into his teacher’s home, where he stayed with another man until the day of the incident.

Human remains


The relationship soured in 2024. The cause is unknown: it may have been a fight, an argument, or the dissolution of a more intimate relationship between the two. What Manchester Police do know is that on April 4th, last year, the first human remains were discovered in a nature reserve, sparking the inquiry.

A check of security cameras revealed the Pole as the primary suspect, with photos showing him carrying an 18-kilogram sack of human remains.

Stuart’s family, who do not live in Manchester, did not report him missing. This is because Majerkiewicz used Stuart’s identity for around three weeks after the murder. He sent them WhatsApp messages, birthday cards, and gifts. Stuart’s family was misled into believing he was still alive while he attempted to improve his life on the Costa Blanca.

Rebecca Macaulay-Addison, a specialist Crown prosecutor from the Crown’s Complex Case Unit, stated that “Marcin Majerkiewicz murdered Stuart Everett before making a despicable and disturbing attempt to cover his tracks by disposing of Mr. Everett’s remains.”

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“Majerkiewicz not only stole a loved one from those caring for Mr. Everett; his subsequent actions almost certainly exacerbated his pain and suffering,” he continued.

Detectives analysed security cameras and mobile phones to identify Majerkiewicz’s visits to secluded places in Salford and Manchester for the purpose of depositing human remains.

These excursions included remote regions, waterways, and rural parks. Detectives discovered Stuart’s remains or DNA at six spots after conducting extensive land and marine searches in 19 areas.

Detective Chief Superintendent Lewis Hughes, the investigation’s chief investigator, described it as a case of “exceptional complexity and magnitude, with detectives initially responding to partial human remains found deep within an isolated woodland.”

“From the beginning, we said we wouldn’t give up, and the victim and her family remained at the forefront of our minds and actions throughout the entire process,” according to the detective.

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Majerkiewicz was arrested on April 25th, 2024. Following a two-week trial at Manchester Crown Court, he was found guilty of murder and is set to be sentenced to life in prison on March 28th.


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