Cases of people testing positive for COVID-19 are rising in South Africa. We have seen how quickly the supply of goods has unravelled in the UK and US, and worse is expected to come.

At the sanctuary we are taking a precautionary approach – hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. The threat to our rescued lions and tigers is not from the virus itself but from disruption of supplies and services and the funds we need to pay for their food, care and medical bills. 

We have ordered extra medications – many of our animals require daily medications as a result of abuse in the circus. 

Now we need to get in extra stocks and prepare for a possible collapse of supplies and services.

Can you help:

• Get a second walk in freezer to double our food storage capacity – £4,500/$5,300
• Get a back-up generator to power our additional food storage. South Africa’s national power company, Eskom, is already making power cuts. The generator will keep us running in the event of a shutdown – £11,000/$13,000.
• Build four night-houses – the final four night-houses for the lions and tigers from Guatemala need to be in place by the end of May, ready for winter. We must purchase materials early – £15,000/$17,700

To help with our emergency measures during these difficult times:

Thanks to ADI supporters, our lion and tiger habitats, security gates, fencing, and heated night-houses are solar-powered. We are already self-sufficient in water. Our team is taking precautions and we have stocks of hand sanitizer, disinfectant, gloves and masks to ensure that they can keep working through the crisis.

We will make sure our animals (like David pictured in the Augie habitat) continue to enjoy life, unaware of the human crisis.

If you are ordering online YOU CAN RAISE FUNDS THROUGH AMAZON SMILE: AT NO EXTRA COST. Amazon Smile will donate a percentage of your purchases to ADI. All you have to do is select Animal Defenders International as the charitable organization you’d like to support through your shopping, then make your purchases through smile.amazon.com (this includes Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods orders) It’s fast, easy, and you’re literally helping animals like David get the food and care they need.

For ‘Animal Defenders International US’: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/03-0538111

For our UK charity ‘Animal Defenders International Foundation’: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/1166558-0