Ten years ago today, ADI raided the first circus in Peru enforcing the country’s ban on animals in circuses. It would be the first of many raids saving over 100 animals and today Leo and his sons Chino, Coco and Rolex were saved. First pic is Chino and Coco in the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary where they live today the others are from Jan and Tim’s phones as a dramatic day unfolded.

In the morning, Jan gave the thumbs up and trucks laden with our ‘freedom cages’ streamed out to be in cities hundreds of miles away ready for rescues in the coming days. We drove to Huarral where a circus and the biggest supplier of lions to other circuses was holed up in a compound. We arrived only to be blocked from entering for hours.

Once inside, we saw that he circus had fed the lions to make it difficult for us to use food to lure them into our cages. There was a circus wagon with two cages the size of queen-sized beds. In one was a battered old lion, who looked on his last legs – Leo. In the other were three sub adults – Chino, Coco and Rolex. The boys looked so young – compare their scruffy little manes on the day of the rescue to how they look at ADIWS today!

Leo was lured into one of our freedom cages and began rolling in the hay – the first we saw of his famous inner kitten. His health would be touch and go for a couple of weeks but he eventually lived to the grand old age of 21+ years only passing away at ADIWS this year.

The circus people were milling around, abusing us and making the animals nervous. It took a while with Jan luring each one forward, one step at a time. But the circus lawyer then blocked the removal of three lionesses – Muñeca, Africa and Kiara. We would have to return with a court order. The next day the lionesses disappeared. We never gave up on them and months later tracked them down, rescued them and Leo was reunited with his Muneca.

It was midnight by the time we unloaded Leo, Chino, Coco and Rolex at the ADI Temporary Rescue Unit. Four of us then headed to the airport and flew to Ayacucho – in less than 12 hours we would be rescuing two more lions from another circus.

Adopt Coco, Rolex, and/or Chino to help provide their ongoing care at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary: US store | UK store