Last month, ADI supporters on Facebook raised the money for all of the hay bales to insulate the dens of the lions and tigers at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa this winter. You even surpassed our target, raising enough for the soft teff bedding inside the dens throughout the winter too! THANK YOU!

Winter is here in the southern hemisphere and although we have some lovely sunny days in South Africa, it can get very cold at night for our rescued lion and tiger circus survivors.

Everyone has a brick house – heated for our seniors – and they can wander in and out as they choose. Many residents, though, like to nest in the dens under the platforms out in their main habitats – as the sun comes up, the lions climb on top and start roaring.

So, in winter the outside of these dens is covered with heavy conveyor belt rubber and further insulated with hay bales. Inside, a thick layer of nice soft teff grass.

For the young tigers rescued in Guatemala, Max and Stripes, and Spice Girls Luna, Jade, Sun and Moon, that means a snug night nest and in the morning hay bale walls to play and destroy! Excellent fun, especially for the ADIWS team to patiently rebuild the stack later in the day. Thank you to everyone who helped.