This week, rescued French circus lions Goliath and Coralie stepped onto the land of their ancestors and began their new lives at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa. They spent the first decade of their lives in a tiny circus cage, now they will enjoy the rest of their lives roaming the land, running at full speed, playing in the grass, and napping under the African skies .

It’s been a tiring but exhilarating week.

On Sunday, May 18, Jan, Tim and Will checked on Goliath and Coralie and went through final arrangements at Tonga Terre d’Accueil, the temporary holding facility near Lyon, France, where Goliath and Coralie have lived since being removed from the circus.

Monday, May 19, our veterinarian Dr Peter Caldwell joined us and it was time to prepare the lions for their journey to Africa.  They were sedated and loaded into the new travel crates, built with the donations to our recent appeals, and they were driven overnight to Paris. We followed with Tim and I sharing the driving.

On Tuesday, May 20, we arrived in Paris at 4:15am and Dr. Caldwell confirmed that Goliath and Coralie were fine and alert. At 5am we got a little rest and then began checking the lions into the Qatar Airways Cargo warehouse at 9am.

Animals need to be checked in 6-8 hours before their flight, prepared and secured in their cages on the pallets to carry them throughout the journey. Qatar Airways Cargo not only donated the flight of the lions and our team, as part of their We Qare programme, but their ground-handling teams in Paris and Doha were magnificent, careful and considerate.

We requested that Coralie and Goliath share the same pallet, to keep them close together. We were given access to check on them and providewater. The thoughtful ground crew in Paris moved and strapped down the crates with kindness and care.

Lions and humans were all boarded, and at around 5pm we took off for Qatar.  It was a smooth journey, we checked on them and topped up their water – Goliath was very relaxed, Coralie a little stressed but then lay down and slept.

There was a 4-hour stopover in Doha to change aircraft, and we went to the Qatar Airways Animal Reception center | centre until the next flight was ready.

On Wednesday, May 21, we boarded the flight for the final leg to South Africa, got fresh stocks of water, topped up Goliath and Coralie’s drinking trays and took off at around 4am. I finally got a little sleep!

Just after 11am, we touched down in Johannesburg.  Dr. Caldwell checked the lions before they were unloaded, and was pleased with how they had handled the journey.

It was sunny but cold – after a decade of French winters it would not be a problem for Goliath and Coralie. It is always exhilarating landing and knowing we are home, but there is one last hurdle – CITES and veterinary import procedures to check our paperwork was all in order.

The mass of paperwork was checked, and Goliath and Coralie finally rolled out – citizens of South Africa!  The ADIWS team loaded the lions onto our trucks and by nearly 3pm, we started the journey to the Sanctuary.

We arrived at ADIWS at about 7pm, unloaded the lions and let them out of their crates into separate rooms inside their house. Both were cautious, especially Coralie, which is understandable after what must be a bewildering experience. After they finished their food, we opened the door between them. Coralie found Goliath, they rubbed heads and settled down to sleep together.

Yesterday, Thursday, May 22, was the day everyone had been waiting for since we started the rescue. After spending the night together, it was time for our lions to feel the African soil beneath their feet. These animals, who were born in a circus, were about to experience their ancestors’ homeland for the first time.    

We opened the door to the feeding camp, and Coralie and Goliath took their first momentous steps into Africa.

Goliath was confident and wandered around curiously, marked his territory, and played with a large, tethered ball. Coralie was more cautious, explored a little and settled down in one of the lions’ outdoor platform dens.

The previous night, they had heard the roars of the other lions and later that day Goliath announced his presence to them with a very loud, deep, assertive roar. Often lions arriving at ADIWS will take a few days to weigh up their surroundings before announcing their presence to the rest of the residents. Clearly very confident, by the afternoon, Goliath was bellowing in response to Simba, Rey, Kesari, Chino and Coco and even to the residents almost a kilometer / kilometre away, on the other side of the Sanctuary, including Shujaa, Kimba, David and the Cuscos.

We will be monitoring our two new residents in Siddhi Habitat, which has been adapted into a quarantine unit to receive all new residents. We have added footbaths, a drive through vehicle wheel bath, washing and sterilizing facilities, with dedicated supplies and tools for quarantine use only.

At the weekend we hope to release the lions into their main 2.5-acre habitat, and on Tuesday, Dr Caldwell will be doing a full examination of them, a battery of health tests and sterilize Coralie (we are a non-breeding sanctuary, and Coralie is older and open to the life-ending infection in older lionesses).

You may have seen us broadcasting live throughout the journey as we crossed the world with our precious cargo. You can see all these videos on YouTube.

Eventually, Coralie and Goliath will move into the 7.5+ acre Antonia Habitat. However, before they can move in, we must build a new home for the current occupants, Matilda the cow and her family of goats and sheep – would you like to help?

Donate UK, Euros, Rand | Donate US $, Can $

Goliath and Coralie represent the beginning of the end of another cruel circus industry. Thanks to the Stop Circus Suffering campaign, wild animals in circuses will be completely banned in France by 2028 and the suffering of animals like Goliath and Coralie will end in another country.

Now as the excitement of another successful rescue fades, we face the biggest challenge. Looking after Goliath and Coralie for the rest of their lives. We hope that will be more than ten years of feeding, care, veterinary treatment, and maintaining their habitats and houses. Can you help?

You can also adopt Goliath and Coralie! They need you to be part of their family. To be standing behind them forever. You will receive an adoption certificate and a beautiful photograph that you can frame, rescue updates, our ADI Rescuer magazine, and our Annual Review. Plus, with certain adoptions, our exclusive ADI Rescuer t-shirt or a canvas print. Adoptions are vital to cover ongoing care.

Adopt Goliath and Coralie from: Our UK store | Our US store

From all of us at ADI, thank you for joining us on Goliath and Coralie’s journey to freedom. We could not have done this without your support.