This is how you expect to see a lioness in Africa, but Mahla’s story began very differently. She was born in a tiny circus cage in Peru and dragged from her mother (even as she suckled) to be passed around for petting and photos. Thankfully, Peru did the right thing and banned wild animals in circuses. In an almost 2-year mission, ADI raided every circus in Peru and saved every animal, bringing Mahla and 32 other lions home to Africa. Today, Mahla lives with her mother (Kiara1), brother (Scarc) and aunt (Amazonas) at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa. Our aim is to give our rescued animals back their dignity and a life as close as possible to what nature intended.

There are no longer any wild animals in circuses in Peru – please help ADI keep changing the world for animals like Mahla and securing laws to protect future generations of animals.

We hope that your weekend will be as relaxing as Mahla’s.