Archive · 9 Aug 2026
War-Rescued Lion Taras Fights Rare Fungal Infection in Minnesota
A little lion named Taras lived through a scary war in Ukraine when he was just a baby.
People found him inside a bag at a train station and saved him.
He traveled far away with his sisters to a safe home for wild animals in Minnesota.
Taras grew up big and strong and became the leader of his lion family.
One day he got very sick and stopped eating.
Doctors found out he had a rare fungus in his lungs.
He had to take strong medicine every day through a tube.
This sickness is very dangerous for big cats, and the doctors were not sure Taras would make it.
But Taras fought hard and got better.
Now he is back with his sisters, and everyone is happy.
His caretakers say this is his 'second miracle.'
Taras, a four-year-old lion rescued from the war in Ukraine as a cub, is recovering from blastomycosis, a rare fungal infection, at the Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, Minnesota.
Rescuers discovered Taras in late 2022 as a four-month-old cub stuffed inside a duffel bag at a train station in Odesa, Ukraine.
Taras was evacuated through Poland with his sisters Lesya and Stefania and another rescued cub before being relocated to the Minnesota sanctuary.
Blastomycosis is a rare, non-contagious fungal infection typically contracted from moist soil that attacks the lungs and carries a high mortality rate in big cats.
After intensive twice-daily intravenous antifungal treatment and a guarded prognosis, Taras has reunited with his pride, and caretakers call his recovery a 'second miracle.'
- Who
- Taras, a four-year-old lion rescued from the Ukraine war, and his caretakers at the Wildcat Sanctuary, founded by Tammy Thies.
- What
- Taras is recovering from blastomycosis, a rare and potentially fatal fungal infection.
- When
- Taras was rescued in late 2022 and fell ill years later after living at the sanctuary.
- Where
- Discovered in Odesa, Ukraine, and now being treated at the Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, Minnesota, USA.
- Why
- The infection, likely contracted from moist soil, attacked his lungs, and care was delayed-risked since the disease often goes unnoticed until late stages.
- Lion's name
- Taras (four years old)
- Illness
- Blastomycosis (rare, non-contagious fungal infection)
- Discovery
- Found as a four-month-old cub in a duffel bag at Odesa train station, Ukraine
- Sisters
- Lesya and Stefania
- Treatment
- Intravenous antifungal medication twice a day, plus oral medication
- Location
- Wildcat Sanctuary, Sandstone, Minnesota, USA
- Sanctuary founder
- Tammy Thies
- Prognosis
- Initially guarded; caretakers report remarkable progress