Moon, one of 15 tigers we rescued from a circus in Guatemala, marks the beginning of Spring in South Africa with a dip in the pool. She was a small cub when we rescued her and is now a magnificent tigress living with her sisters Luna, Jade and Sun at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary.
Author: animaldefendersinternational
Lupe needs your love
Ex-circus tiger from Guatemala, Lupe, is now suffering the same damage because of her circus life, like her sisters Bimbi and Sombra. She is now having the same seizures we saw in her sisters and was taken to hospital for an MRI so that Dr Caldwell and his colleagues could establish the extent of the lesions on her brain and decide the next course of medication to hold off and minimise the seizures. This condition cannot be cured, but we can treat her to make her comfortable and give her as long as we can to enjoy the freedom of her habitat alongside her family. She is now back home at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary following her scan.
Continue readingFarewell Muñeca
It is with a truly heavy heart that we announce that our beloved ex-circus lioness from Peru, Muñeca, has passed away at 19 years of age, after 8 years in ADI care.
Continue readingCatnip toys for lions
Rey A (from Ayacucho) gets stuck into a box stuffed with hay and catnip at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. Filmed soon after Rey returned from hospital, you can see where he was shaved for an ultrasound. Rey and brother Simba were rescued from a circus in Peru and had not been apart until Rey was taken ill. The greeting the two lions gave each other when Rey returned was incredible and if you’ve not seen it, watch it here.
Continue readingKesari and catnip
Something exciting has got Kesari up on his paws at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa. Here he is clearly enjoying the catnip donated by Kunduchi Pet Products in a total state of bliss. What do you think Kesari is thinking right now?
Continue readingIron recovered after dental surgery
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.
Continue readingLeo watches over Muñeca when she gets sick
19-year-old Muñeca is now in Old Chapel Veterinary Hospital after she became lethargic and stopped eating. Leo clearly realized something was wrong and stood by his adored Muñeca, encouraging and wrapping his legs around her. A reminder of just how important social bonds are to lions.
Continue readingLion loyalty
Tarzan says “No” to food and meds until he sees his Tanya! Recently, Tarzan was unwell. Taking no chances, we took him to hospital. But he was miserable there and refused to eat or take his medication. The solution – bring his Tanya in early for her dental check! The couple were put together in the same hospital room. They were overjoyed to see each other, and Tarzan immediately took his meds, ate his dinner, and went straight to sleep, guarded by his Tanya!
Continue readingLionesses enjoying football
Congratulations to the “Lionesses” (England’s women’s football team) for winning Euro 2022. The lionesses at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary love their football as shown off here by Mahla at the weekend. The lions do however take the expression “tough tackling” to another level”!
Not to be left out, the Sanctuary’s tiger team also loves to play ball, although their rules can be hard to follow.
If you’d like to fund a ball or other enrichment, click here.
Catnip time!
Big or small, all cats go crazy for it. Huge thanks to Kunduchi Pet Products, a company based in South Africa, for donating 10kg of catnip to provide our rescued lions and tigers fun enrichment. Enrichment and play are essential for keeping rescued animals physically and mentally healthy. Enjoy these photos of our ADI Wildlife Sanctuary residents enjoying catnip stuffed into boxes with teff. Which photo is your favorite?
If you’d like to donate towards more catnip and other enrichment for our big cats to enjoy, click here.
ADI Wildlife Sanctuary 