He added that the two lions have emotionally bonded and that Soraya wasn't eating before she met Mufasa. Carel Zietsman, the lawyer for Mufasa's sanctuary, told ABC News on Tuesday that he is in negotiations to buy the lion and Soraya too. However, there are fears that he will be bought by a hunting group who will force him to take part in a 'canned hunt'.Ī canned hunt sees an animal trapped in a confined space and then shot by hunters. He is set to be auctioned off, a practice that is common with confiscated animals. Mufasa was taken to the Rustenburg Wildlife Rehabilitation Center as a cub after being taken from his owner who kept him as a pet without a permit. However, a lawyer for the sanctuary has revealed that he is now in negotiations to buy Mufasa, together with Soraya, on behalf of a mystery donor who wants to move them both to a safe haven. The rare big cat is infertile and so faced being put up for auction with activists and staff at the sanctuary fearing that he would be bought by hunters. Mufasa, three, was confiscated by police in South Africa as a cub and handed to a wildlife rehabilitation centre to be cared for along with another young lion called Soraya. A rare white lion who faced being auctioned off and shot by hunters may have been saved by a mystery donor.