An .ᴇᴍ.ᴀᴄɪᴀᴛᴇᴅ lion that was saved from abuse in a circus is now so weak it can no longer stand after losing more than half its body weight in a zoo.

Jupiter had been living in an animal shelter in Cali, Colombia, after being saved from a life of .ᴄɪ.ʀᴄᴜs exploitation where it had its claws cut off.

But the healthy lion was transferred to the Los Caimanes zoo in the city of Monteria last year – where it rapidly dropped to just 14th and is so thin its ribs are skin.

Leading attempts to restore Jupiter to full health is the woman who rescued him from the circus where he was born and brought him up as her “son” from the age of three months.

Ana Julia Torres has run the Villa Lorena animal sanctuary in Cali, Colombia for more than 30 years.

But in April 2019, environmental authorities confiscated Jupiter over a lack of required documentation and accusations that Torres was mistreating hundreds of wild animals, most of which arrived at her sanctuary showing signs of the previous ᴍ.ɪs.ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ.

When the zoo closed he was taken to a nearby facility.

“Clearly he was locked up and that’s when he started losing weight,” said Torres, who claimed she had felt a mother’s instinct that her progeny needed her help.

“He hasn’t eaten for several days. It’s a fact that an animal deteriorates” in such conditions, she said.

Animal lovers and his rescuer mobilized to get Jupiter removed from the facility and transported to a new home closer to his rescuer.

He will now receive treatment in Cali zoo, where vets will work around the clock to get Jupiter back to full health. And close by will be Torres, looking to provide a mother’s love as he recovers.