Good to see Iron looking back to his usual magnificent self after over three hours of dental surgery at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary at the weekend. Dr Peter Caldwell was at the sanctuary on Saturday assessing the animals and giving vaccinations. Dr Gerhard Steenkamp performed three root canals, two extractions, repaired a fractured molar in Iron who was originally rescued from a circus in Colombia.

Broken teeth and dental problems are common in circus animals because they are often hit in the face with metal bars. Incredibly, the month marks eight years since the start of ADI’s Operation Spirit of Freedom emptying circuses in Peru and Colombia, so many of the animals rescued then are getting older now and needing more veterinary care.