We have a very special event next weekend (Sunday, December 10) in Los Angeles celebrating a decade of ADI emptying entire countries of circus animals. For those in the LA area, we do hope you can join us for ‘Inside Liberty‘.

As our Stop Circus Suffering campaign gathered momentum and countries started banning animal circuses, a question emerged – how to enforce the bans and where would the animals go?

Then Bolivia’s circuses united to defy the law and things came to a head. It had to work! ADI had rescued animals in Chile, Colombia, Mozambique – but emptying a whole industry was huge. During Operation Lion Ark, we tracked down and raided all the circuses. Every animal saved, an entire cruel industry closed. The surge in public support saw more bans sweep Latin America.

We set up the Temporary Rescue Unit (TRU) system, where animals could be cared for temporarily, as circus targets were systematically raided by police. Successful missions in Peru and Colombia saw more cages emptied and over 100 animals saved.

The scale of these rescues means we empty an industry of the animals, send a clear message to those who might defy the law, and encourage governments to act. They end the suffering.

Then desperate government officials in Guatemala reached out. In sweltering heat, Operation Liberty turned into 18 grueling months of circus raids, threats, confrontations, lawsuits, water shortages at the TRU, armed attempts to steal the animals, and an emergency evacuation to a second, secret TRU, before an airlift of 17 lions and tigers, through five countries on three continents to get them home to Africa.

It was complicated – at the same time as emptying Guatemala, we were building the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa for the ex-circus big cats from Peru and Colombia, as well as Guatemala.

If you are in Southern California, we hope you can join ADI’s Jan and Tim for an inspiring presentation of ‘Inside Liberty’, with previously unseen footage from the extraordinary 18-month Operation Liberty – where against all odds, we emptied the circus cages in Guatemala, built a new sanctuary, and brought them home.

INSIDE LIBERTY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2023, 3:30pm-6:30pm
5757 Wilshire Boulevard #suite m101 Los Angeles, CA 90036
Tickets – $20
For tickets call 323-935-2234 or visit https://bit.ly/InsideLibertyLA

We really hope to see you there for the inside view of the work that ADI supporters help make possible. If you can’t make it but would really like to help ADI continue this type of work and support our rescued animals, click here.