lion

Ruben out and about

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Ruben, the lonely lion rescued from a private zoo in Armenia, has been enjoying the recent expansion of his habitat at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa. Ruben arrived with severe difficulty walking due to spinal problems caused by poor diet and confinement. With veterinary treatment, supplements and physiotherapy thanks to his enthusiastic play with different toys such as catnip bags, Ruben’s mobility has improved significantly. There is still a long way to go, but at a January veterinary assessment, it was decided Ruben was ready for an additional half acre of more challenging space – with longer grass in places and slopes to climb to a platform. Recently, he has been using this more and more, sleeping under the platform and watching Max and Stripes (who have been captivated by seeing their neighbor up close).

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Meet Muheeb

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Muheeb is the oldest of the Kuwait5, a young 4-year-old male. A very handsome lion, we were told “His name means scary.” “Is he?” we asked. “He really isn’t,” said his carer, with a smile. He seems to have a very calm and gentle personality, and immediately came and sat beside Jan. We hope that at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, we will not only be able to give him a wonderful huge habitat, but companionship of his own kind. He will be in a single habitat at first, but is very young, and hopefully, over time, we can get him together with another rescued lion.

Our thanks to the volunteers in Kuwait and staff at Kuwait zoo, who have ensured the animals are content and cared for, until we can relocate them to their new lives.

Click here to donate towards the relocation of the lions.

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Ruben awake after major dental surgery

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Ruben, the lonely lion who was rescued after being left alone in a closed private zoo in Armenia for five years after all the other animals were removed, today had dental surgery at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa. Ruben arrived at ADIWS in late August with serious difficulty walking and numerous damaged teeth. He has made significant progress walking and veterinarian Dr Caldwell has been working towards building up Ruben’s health and strength ready for dental surgery.

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Living a lion’s life

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Born in a tiny circus cage in Peru, we rescued Scarc and his family and brought him home to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa. Lions like Scarc cannot go into the wild but we can give them a life as close to what nature intended as possible. These animals need space to run and play, you can see that Scarc and his family have acres of space in Tohir Habitat at ADIWS.

We are working right now to bring five lions in Kuwait, that have been rescued from the illegal pet trade, to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. Help give them the life that Scarc has. Donate today

Ruben’s classic move

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Many of you remember the first thing Ruben did when he saw his very first toy after stepping onto African soil at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. After six years of living alone in a barren concrete cage in a zoo, Ruben now lives in the Keith’s Happiness Habitat, enjoying the natural space. Enrichment is always a special treat – Ruben was excited when he walked over to his giant catnip punchbag and played and played until he demolished it!

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Farewell, Leo

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It with great sadness we announce that our dear Leo, lion father of the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, has now passed away. Leo, who was over 21 years old, had become very fragile and appeared to be fading at the start of the month. But with palliative care an outpouring of love across the world, our warrior bounced back. He was back to his old self for three wonderful weeks, his appetite returned, he enjoyed the ADIWS staff constantly attending him, basked in the South African sunshine, and would walk deep into his habitat and to watch his daughters. A last hurrah in the land of his forefathers.

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Will you help Muheeb?

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Come closer and look into my eyes…..
Muheeb was bred by an animal trafficker, then sold into Kuwait’s illegal pet trade for a lonely life as someone’s misguided status symbol. By the time he was fully grown, his owner realised it was a mistake, knew Muheeb needed a better life. He surrendered Muheeb but there was nowhere for him – he is currently being cared for in Kuwait Zoo which is closed. Muheeb is 4-6 years old and finally has a chance of a home in Africa at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. Will you help Muheeb and four other lions rescued from Kuwait’s illegal wildlife pet trade make the journey to a new life? Donate

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Watermelon surprise for Ruben

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Ruben seems over the moon to receive his watermelon treat ahead of Valentine’s Day! This is Ruben’s first Valentine’s Day at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary after he was rescued last year from a life of lonely suffering in Armenia. He loves his toys, especially his special teddy bears made out of recycled coffee sacks. We can’t wait to treat him to more watermelon on Valentine’s Day – it will be another tasty treat for him to enjoy. Thanks to Sharon Barber who donated watermelon treats for all the animals at ADIWS.

Keep the fun going for Ruben, while supporting his physiotherapy. Donate toward more enrichment.

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Ruben loves his A-frame

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Enjoying the shade on a summer’s day…. Ruben absolutely loves the A-frame shelters in his habitat and when the African summer sun gets hot, that’s where you’ll usually find him. He even carries his toys and tucks them inside, and as we all know how much he loves his toys, that means he sees his A-frames as a safe place. Ruben’s confidence continues to grow, and his movement has improved greatly since those first wobbly steps when he arrived.

Giving a donation for enrichment at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary pays for lots of different things – catnip sacks, giant balls, structures to hang toys up, A-frames for snoozing and watching the world. Toys for lions and tigers need to be regularly repaired and replaced – destruction is half their fun! Chino and Coco use their A-frames as gym equipment and Kesari likes to lean on his until he flattens it!

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