They were rescued by ADI from a miserable circus cage in the city of Ayacucho high in the Andes mountains, Peru. After a difficult seizure operation our team drove through sleet, rain and snow over the mountains for 20 hours to our Temporary Rescue Unit near Lima. ADI President Jan celebrated a birthday with the lions on the mountain roads. ADI then flew 33 rescued lions from Peru and Colombia to a new life in South Africa.
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Brotherly love
Max and Stripes are as close as any brothers can be. They are very rarely seen apart even though their Kakato by April Fong Habitat is our largest tiger territory at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary.
Continue readingDavid marking his territory
We’ve all seen our house cats do some form of this, but did you know lions do, too? Here is handsome David scent marking the vegetation in his Camo Habitat.
David was rescued from a circus in Peru where he was used as a prop and had never left his cage. Now at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, he has four acres of space, freedom of choice, and an enriched environment to express his natural behaviors.
To plant more trees and shrubs for David and our other big cats, donate here.
Bonding time with Scarc
The ADI Wildlife Sanctuary’s Resident Welfare Team (RWT) works to build trust with our rescued lions and tigers. Here Paul is sitting with the magnificent Scarc, rescued from a circus in Peru, just outside his Tohir Habitat. You might recall that Ruben has a team working to create a bond with him.
Each member of the RWT is assigned five residents to work with, spending time sitting with them each week. The aim is to build trust, in order to better care for them, especially when there are medical issues.
Farewell Bumba
We are heartbroken to report the passing of a giant at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, Bumba, aged around 17 years. On Tuesday, after a loss of appetite and lethargy, Bumba was sedated by Dr Peter Caldwell and taken to hospital. Many of you following on our ‘live’ feeds on veterinary day, saw Dr Caldwell express concern about Bumba’s lungs. Sadly, after blood analysis, x-rays and ultrasounds, the worst was confirmed this morning. Bumba had multiple tumours and his condition would deteriorate rapidly and radically. We took the decision to let a grand old warrior go peacefully. Rescued from a circus in Colombia, he had enjoyed 9 years of love in ADI’s care, most of it home in Africa.
Continue readingMax relaxes in his pool
Handsome Max relaxes in a pool in Kakato by April Fong Habitat, shared with brother Stripes – our largest tiger territory with two pools and a lake. With the arrival of spring and warmer weather, Max, Stripes and our other rescued tigers will be dipping in their pools more often.
Continue reading“Fabulous” – Ruben health update
“Fabulous” was Dr Peter Caldwell’s reaction to seeing Ruben during our veterinary day at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary yesterday (which many of you watched live on Facebook). Having examined Ruben the day after he arrived from Armenia (and reviewed videos since Ruben’s arrival), Dr Caldwell was pleased with his overall improvement in such a short space of time – can you believe it was 26 days ago he stepped out of his travel crate?
Continue readingEasy at sunset
Beautiful lioness Easy enjoying the African sunset in her Camo Habitat at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. On this day nine years ago, Easy and the other eight lions ADI rescued from a circus in Bucaramanga, Colombia, were signed into our care. Among them was Bumba – he and Easy are the last surviving members of our Colombian pride.
Last week, 17-year-old Easy returned from the Old Chapel Veterinary Clinic after an extended stay. She is suffering from irritable bowel disease and has been prescribed various medications. Will you support Easy so she can continue to build her strength and enjoy her golden years? Click here to donate for Easy.
Send your love for Bumba
Magnificent Bumba is the last of the great pride of six boys rescued by ADI from a circus in Colombia nine years ago. Over time, his brothers have all passed, often due to cancer. So, when Bumba appeared lethargic this week and had less appetite, we alerted Dr Caldwell immediately, just to be on the safe side. Bumba will be heading to Dr Caldwell’s Old Chapel Veterinary Clinic on Tuesday where he will get a full older lion health examination. We are all really hoping for the best. Please think of Bumba and send him your love. Join us live at the ADIWS on Tuesday 19th, as we go live periodically throughout another Big Veterinary & Dental Day. There will be health checks, dental work, and Bumba will be loaded for hospital.
Ruben on the move
A life of severe confinement and poor nutrition has left Ruben with severe mobility problems. The 15-year old lion is being treated for spondylitis, inflammation of the spine and joints and may have other underlying issues. Before he left Armenia, he could barely take a couple of paces before his hind legs collapsed and he fell. However, thanks in a large part to this remarkable lion’s determination, since arriving at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary he has driven himself on and is walking further each day and doing better turning. This video, filmed in the last few days, shows that Ruben still has a long way to go, but the work improving the quality of his life is just beginning. Please note this is not a “Best of Ruben” video, the footage is selected to show supporters who are helping him the full range of his movement, the progress he is making, and the work still to do. This Kunduchi punchbag is pretty heavy, but Ruben carries it off with ease!
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