Once a trophy pet abandoned in Kuwait City, Saham now basks in the warmth of the sun relishing his pumpkin and ice lolly at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary.
Continue readingSaham savors his ice lolly!
lion
The master of relaxation
Rolex, son of the beloved and dearly missed Leo and Muñeca, has been a resident of the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary since we built it, 5 years ago.
Rescued from a circus in Peru with his family, he was saved on the very first day of ADI’s Operation Spirit of Freedom in 2014, a mission enforcing Peru’s ban on wild animals in circuses. His mother and sisters were brought to safety a few months later.
ADI emptied every cage in this rescue mission lasting almost two years and saving over 100 animals including 33 lions!
Our bigs love to play
Like most felines, our big cats LOVE to play. Whether they’re leaping and bounding around their platform, playing hide and seek in the tall grasses or rolling about in mounds of hay, they never say no to a little fun!
Continue readingOn the prize, Smith flies
Smith has faced several health challenges in recent years but you wouldn’t believe it when he caught sight of a Halloween pumpkin on one of his platforms at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary and launched himself at it.
This picture shows why enrichment is so important for captive animals, giving them different experiences and keeping them mentally and physically stimulated.
Ten years ago Smith was the most famous lion in the world after a clip went viral of him dragging an audience member around a circus ring in Peru. A particularly irresponsible circus act, in which Smith was meant to jump over a member of the audience, went wrong. As a result ADI rescued Smith and all of the other animals that remained in the circus.
Ten years on you can see just how powerful he is and just how stupid it was to put a member of the public in a circus ring with him!
Happy Halloween Smith.
The day Ruben came home…
We will never forget this day a year ago when Ruben stepped from his travel crate, wobbled, steadied himself, drove himself on and began to play with his catnip sack until it burst all over him. In those moments his entire countenance changed, his frowning, anxious face relaxed, his eyes brightened with joy.
Continue readingTurn the tide against trophy pets
Today is World Lion Day. LET’S TURN THE TIDE AGAINST TROPHY PETS. Aziza is a beautiful young lioness, with dainty, elegant features. Perhaps it’s not surprising that someone thought it would be cool to have her as a status symbol pet. But then they tired of her and she was discarded like a fashion accessory they had tired of. She was dumped in the streets of Kuwait City. ADI stepped in to bring Aziza and five other lions, abandoned in the same way, home to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary.
Continue readingKuwait 6 lionesses doing well after surgery
You’ll be pleased to know that Dhubiya and Aziza have fully recovered after their sterilisation operations last week. As well as preventing breeding this will also reduce risk of pyometra, a sudden and potentially life-threatening infection of the uterus, and certain cancers. This means the girls can live in family groups which include males. And sometimes, with the numbers and breakdown of males and females we rescue, this can be the difference whether they live a lifetime alone or enjoy the touch, communication, and companionship of another lion.
Continue readingIndomitable
Sasha relaxes at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary and it’s hard to believe that this is a lioness with a titanium leg implant! A brutal declawing operation in a Guatemalan circus led to an infection and then spread up her leg. For 8 years she limped in constant pain in her circus cage. Then ADIWS veterinarian Dr Peter Caldwell performed ground-breaking surgery, replacing the diseased bone with a titanium implant. After years of limping, the tendons shortened in her leg and so she still limps, but is no longer in pain and will leap onto her platforms. These days, she loves to spend time alongside brothers Tomas and Kimba from the same circus in Guatemala and in the mornings all three will chase along the fence that divides their habitats.
Please help support the indomitable Sasha, now 12 years old, by adopting her: UK store | US store
Stunning profile
Aziza is the smallest and shyest of the Kuwait 6 lions rescued from the illegal wildlife trade – but she is growing in confidence.
Abandoned when she was no longer wanted as a ‘trophy pet’, she was found in the streets of Kuwait City and taken to the zoo. ADI was called in to relocate Aziza and five other lions (Dhubiya, Saif, Muheeb, Shujaa and Saham) to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa. When we first saw her she was extremely nervous, frantically pacing and would not come near us.
Continue readingMahla vs catnip
The Kunduchi Pet Products catnip punchbag is an absolute favorite among our rescued lions and tigers, especially Mahla, at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. Although they have acres of wild space to roam and native wildlife to watch and chase, this type of enrichment provides extra stimulation and fun.
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