Kesari enjoys hanging tire enrichment, which we’ve loaded with the irresistible scent of catnip (kindly donated by Kunduchi Pet Products) and other essential oils. This impressive boy has the run of the Phillips Habitat at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary where we happily cater to his needs. ADI offered him a home after hearing that he was driven from his pride at Pretoria Zoo and for two years, spent most of his time in a night house due to lack of space. Thankfully the zoo waited for a safe home for him – had he been put up for auction, he could have ended up in the sights of a trophy hunter!
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Sasha plays ball
Sasha plays with her Robust-a-Ball at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa. Fun for Sasha and important physiotherapy for a lioness with a titanium implant in her leg. Sasha suffered a traumatic declawing process, crushing a toe, as a cub in a Guatemalan circus. It became infected and turned into cancer.After ADI rescued her, veterinarian Peter Caldwell performed groundbreaking surgery, replacing diseased leg bone with a titanium plate. Sasha’s original limp is still evident, due to contracted tendons – a legacy of years of limping in the circus, but she is now pain and cancer free. Enrichment, like these balls, is vital for keeping animals physically and mentally healthy.
To donate towards more enrichment, click here.
Catnip 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 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.
Indomitable Sasha
When Sasha was a tiny cub, the Guatemala circus owner decided to cut off her front toes, to prevent her claws growing. She would not be able to defend herself. The circuses don’t pay for veterinarians. She will have been torn, screaming, from her mother, her legs held tight, as her toes were cut off. Instead of cleanly cutting all the toes off, one toe was crushed. The injury was just left, and so baby Sasha developed a limp, her toe infected and painful. Six long years of pain later, the infection turned into cancer.
Continue readingLions and tigers and balls!
Enjoy rescued lions and tigers having a great time playing with their new toys at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa. Saved from suffering in circuses in Guatemala, Peru and Colombia, the big cats now roam large natural habitats, free to do as they want, but they still enjoy the excitement of anything new, and love their new toys.
Jade checks out her new trees
March saw 24 more indigenous karee trees – sponsored by Trees for Tigers USA – planted at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa. This is part of our program of re-wildling the sanctuary land with indigenous plants to encourage local wildlife and provide rich habitats for our rescued lions and tigers. The sanctuary has 455 acres, much of which was denuded by farming, so we are re-planting and giving it back to the animals. These trees are an investment that will grow and grow and provide shelter for generations of rescued animals to come – we just have to keep watering them! Jade, who was rescued from a circus in Guatemala and who lives with sisters Luna, Sun and Moon, seems to approve. Although she didn’t help by tearing up the pipes we planted to water the trees and turning them into toys for her and her Spice Girl sisters!
Lions and tigers play ball
Our custom made lion and tiger balls from Robust a Ball have arrived at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary and Kesari, Sasha tiger, Chino and Coco have been the first to have a ball! Sasha lioness has been enjoying our prototype of the new size for the past couple of weeks. For Sasha lioness, it is even more than enrichment, it is great physiotherapy for her leg, which has a titanium scaffold after diseased bone was removed.
Our habitats are large at the ADIWS, giving the lions and tigers space to explore, run, and play, but enrichment like this is still vital for keeping them engaged mentally and physically. You can support treats, toys and enrichment for the animals.
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