The Luján Zoo was once the most popular tourist attraction in Argentina. Its journey from a petting zoo with global fame to an absolute collapse followed by a massive international rescue mission began in 1994 when Jorge Semino rented a 37-acre farm and turned it into a petting zoo for exotic animals. He allowed visitors to enter enclosures to “pet, feed, ride, and take photos with adult tigers, lions, cheetahs, and bears.”
He claimed the animals were safe because they were “domesticated” using specialized training called the “Luján Method”. Cubs were separated from their mothers as soon as they were born and raised alongside domestic dogs to teach them non-aggressive behaviors. Staff handled the animals 24/7 to desensitize them to human touch and noise. The animals were hand-fed so they lacked the predatory instinct to hunt or attack visitors. All this nonsense was repeated by the staff for the benefit of high-end tourists and celebrities coming in from Buenos Aires, just 45 minutes away, to hold a tiger cub. Jorge would also deliver tigers to private residences for petting parties.
It was one of the most profitable tourist attractions in the country generating more than $1 million a year for more than 10 years. Jorge kept costs to a minimum by feeding the cats roadkill and garbage and paying the staff $10 a day even though the petting generated revenue in excess of $50,000 a day.
Animal protection groups criticized the zoo, alleging the big cats had to be drugged to keep them docile around humans. Whistleblowers exposed severe welfare violations, including staff maulings, declawing and lack of vet care and the death of animals from preventable causes.
In the beginning, the big cats were supplied by Texas breeders and then by on-site breeding that continued for 25 years. The big cat population at Luján grew to 200 by 2020. Amid escalating animal welfare complaints and mounting safety concerns, Argentine authorities permanently shut down the Luján Zoo in 2020.
The closure coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, completely halting the facility’s tourism revenue. When the gates closed, the public and the money disappeared, and hundreds of animals were left stranded in their cages. Jorge laid off 70 keepers and refused to pay those who remained.
A small group of former zookeepers who lost their jobs refused to walk away. They voluntarily returned for years, patching cages and pooling resources to barely keep the animals fed. One manager even sold his own cars to buy meat.
Despite the keepers’ efforts, the lack of professional veterinary care and proper food took a brutal toll.
The zoo had 200 big cats when it closed in 2020; by 2023, that number dropped to 112, and by 2025, only 62 lions and tigers survived.
Fortunately, in 2025, the global animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS finally secured an agreement with the Argentine government to step in and take over the site. Veterinarians began treating the survivors for severe malnutrition, infected wounds, and organ failure. Others suffered from dental and kidney disease and complications from declawing and injuries that never healed properly.
When FOUR PAWS arrived in 2023 to assess the zoo, they found animals barely hanging on — seven lions packed into a cage no larger than a bathroom, tigers sharing enclosures with species they’d never encounter in the wild, and bears pacing endlessly on splintered floors. “Overcrowded is an understatement,” said Four Paws’ chief program officer, Luciana D’Abramo. The team performed life-saving surgeries, repairing teeth broken from biting metal bars, and treating wounds long left unattended.
In August 2026, the first phase of the rescue began: 30 lions and tigers were flown out of Argentina to high-standard international sanctuaries. Nine tigers and six lions were flown to LIONSROCK, a FOUR PAWS sanctuary in South Africa that houses more than 80 big cats across natural enclosures sprawling 60 hectares (148 acres). The remaining eight tigers and seven lions traveled to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado, a vast refuge on the grasslands northeast of Denver where rescued lions, tigers and other animals roam expansive habitats. The remaining 20+ big cats and two brown bears continue to receive on-site rehabilitation while rescuers search for their permanent sanctuary homes.
The rescue marks one of the largest animal recovery efforts in Argentina’s history and comes with a government pledge to end the sale and private ownership of exotic cats nationwide. This is a very big deal.
We at Tigers in America enjoy a multiyear partnership with FOUR PAWS and would like to thank Luciana for negotiating with the Argentine government for a ban on the ownership, breeding and exhibition of the big cats and were happy to provide financial assistance for this rescue.
