Tim and I are flying to Israel as ADI steps in to save two illegally trafficked lion cubs after their hopes of a new life seemed to have been shattered.
The cubs had the worst possible start in life – sold by a wildlife trafficker as illegal pets, Ben-Tzur was tied to a tree (see picture below) in a yard and Ori confined in miserable conditions inside a house. Thankfully, still tiny babies, they were seized by Israel’s police and Nature & Parks Authority (NPA), during a crackdown on wildlife trafficking.
They were seized in March 2025 and after waiting for almost a year to head to a new life, the boys were destined to fly in late January to Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary in Western Cape, South Africa when it was suddenly devastated by a wildfire.
Sanctuaries across South Africa scrambled to take in evacuated animals with an ADI Wildlife Sanctuary team flying down to bring white lionesses, Elsa and Lei-ah to safety, the drive back taking over 15 hours. They will be our VIP guests until Panthera Africa can be rebuilt.
But what would happen to Ben-Tzur and Ori with their new home in ashes?
We have stepped in to help, and for the past weeks I have been working with our lawyers to quickly secure new permits to bring the cubs to ADIWS. With a huge rebuilding operation needed and unknown timeline for Panthera Africa, we both agreed it was in the best interests of the cubs for ADIWS to provide them with their forever home.
Things have been moving fast, and we are grateful to the CITES authorities in Israel for expediting the export permits, and to South Africa CITES for quickly inspecting the proposed home and for the super-fast import permits. We have prepared travel crates at ADIWS in case these need to be shipped to Israel.
Tim and I are flying to Israel to meet Ori and Ben-Tzur, the NPA team who rescued the animals, and the zoo officials where they currently reside. We will review the options for travel crates, plan the route, and co-ordinate the logistics for the move. As we await potential flights and veterinary import permits, we are doing everything we can to move the boys to ADIWS this month.
This is a big rescue to undertake with short notice, and the youngsters will hopefully have more than 20 years ahead of them in our care. There will be transport costs, initial veterinary costs, the cost of a 2.5-acre habitat, food, care, and the veterinary costs for two decades – we really need your help to raise at least $75,000/ £55,000, if we are not to jeopardize our plans to help other animals.
I had to make a quick decision for these young lions whose dreams had just gone up in smoke, so I hope you will help us as you have done before.
It has been a busy start to 2026 with the emergency relocation to ADIWS of two white lions from a South African sanctuary hit by a wildfire, ex-circus lions Coralie and Goliath moved into their forever home, and major campaigns for animals in the UK, US, Peru and Colombia. Here’s a few of the highlights.
On 8th January, a devastating wildfire ripped through Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa’s Western Cape. True sanctuaries across South Africa scrambled to take in the animals and ADI flew a team to assist. Two white lions Elsa and Lei-ah were evacuated on a 15+ hour journey to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary (ADIWS). After arriving shaken from the trauma of the fire, the lions have since settled in and are now very relaxed. Last week it was time for the girls to explore their main habitat, and we were delighted to be joined by founder Lizaene and Taryn, one of the carers, from Panthera Africa. The lions have a house, feeding camp and a 2.5 acre habitat and will be guests at ADIWS for as long as it takes for Panthera to rebuild. We had to act fast to evacuate these animals, so are especially grateful to the wonderful ADI supporters who then stepped up to help cover the costs of these two unexpected VIP guests. We do not as yet have any estimates on how long the lions will be with us.
ADI has also been working intensely to take over the relocation of two lion cubs from Israel, who had been destined for Panthera Africa until the devastating fire happened. This is another huge addition to our plans, and we will need to start raising funds quickly. This is moving very quickly and we will be providing a full update in the coming days.
UK Government’s animal welfare strategy sets targets which aims to ban trail hunting in England and Wales, phase out colony cages for laying hens, ban CO2 stunning in pigs, ban snares, ban the boiling alive of crustaceans like lobsters and crabs, and more by 2030. The decision on lobsters is based on scientific evidence confirming that such animals are sentient and feel pain. Switzerland, Norway, and New Zealand have already introduced similar bans.
It is important for supporters in the UK to write to their MPs saying that you support the proposals and urge that they be moved forwards as quickly as possible to ensure that some of the target must be hit before the next general election. We anticipate consultations on these issues and it will be vital for supporters to participate and speak up for the animals – watch out for ADI updates. Find out more.
Our huge inflatable owl monkey Musmuqui continues to tour drawing attention to malaria experiments on small nocturnal monkeys. ADI undercover investigators exposed shocking scenes of trapping gangs catching monkeys in the forest and inside Colombia’s animal labs. The recent appearances of Musmuqui have included a three-day music festival and various schools in Colombia.
Kiara Piura (Kiara2) eye surgery: For a long time, we have been aware that at some stage the cataract in Kiara’s eye would become inflamed and require removal. Just before Christmas, there was rapid deterioration, and Dr Peter Caldwell and his team stepped in to perform the surgery and keep Kiara under observation during the holiday period. Brother Rolex and sister Africa were delighted to see her return to the Sanctuary for the new year. Kiara had already adapted to severely restricted vision in one eye, and has adapted following the surgery with ease, leaping onto her platforms or crates – she is pictured above this week enjoying a snooze with sister Africa.
Beagle breeder Ridglan Farms will surrender its state license on July 1 this year, ending the sale of dogs to labs. The Dane County facility, long criticized for regulatory violations, will however, continue to breed dogs for its own research under USDA licensing.
The UK Parliament debates fireworks: This month MPs debated two petitions aimed at restricting the sale of fireworks to council approved events and reducing the noise limit from 120 to 90 decibels. The petitions, with almost 400,000 signatures combined, reflect the rising concern about the increasing domestic use of very loud, bright fireworks. The discussion covered terror induced in companion animals, livestock and wildlife, as well as human injuries, anti-social behaviour and effects on veterans. Not a single MP was against increasing restrictions but despite this, the debate concluded without any tangible timeline or plan of action from the Government.
The International Candlelight Vigil for Elephants took place on January 10, backed by ADI and 30 other groups. Most of the elephants seen in zoos or circuses over the years have been born in the wild and spent decades in captivity. Candles were lit to remember these social, gentle, intelligent animals who lost their freedom to entertain people, and passed away in captivity last year.
In the US, please continue to speak up and fight for all those who are still confined and abused in the name of entertainment and contact your Congress membersin support of the reintroduction of TEAPSPA, to end elephant and other wild animal circus acts nationwide.
Horse-drawn carriages for tourists have been banned in Peru’s capital. The Superior Court of Justice accepted that horses are mistreated and a lack of oversight by municipal authorities, and so revoked all permits for “tourist” horse-drawn carriage rides. The court reviewed evidence of how horses are injured, suffer stress and respiratory problems working in noisy and heavily polluted areas of the city, crowded with cars, buses, trucks, and other vehicles. This could be an important precedent, because the court established that as animals are constitutionally protected sentient beings, the standard of protection cannot be reactive but must be preventive and protect animals from harm.
Report reveals lab suffering and incompetence: The UK’s Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) annual report reveals suffering and death in UK labs: regulated procedures performed on pregnant mice due to misidentifying sexes; multiple cases of mice mothers being removed from their new born too soon resulting in the deaths of pups; a system fault led to fish dying from chlorine exposure; dozens of mice killed by staff without proper euthanasia training; many animals accidentally left without food and/or water for up to 5 days; multiple live animals mistakenly put in waste bins. None of these cases received more than a letter of reprimand.
French Government confirms relocation of orcas: Mother and son Wikie and Keijo will be going to a coastal sanctuary off Canada. Both were born in captivity and have their lived entire lives in small concrete tanks in a marine park in the south of France that closed last year. The relocation is tentatively set for this summer when construction is complete.
In the US, please urge your Congress members (directory below TEAPSPA graphic) to reintroduce the SWIMS (Strengthening Welfare in Marine Settings) Act to ban the taking and breeding of orcas, beluga whales, pilot whales, and false killer whales for public display. It would also ban the importation and exportation of these marine animals, with exemptions for transportation to sanctuaries and the wild.
Rescued French circus lions move into new habitat at ADIWS: In preparation for the arrival of Lei-ah and Elsa, Goliath and Coralie were moved out of the Stephi quarantine unit into their forever home. The 3.7-acre Augie habitat is where Tarzan and Tanya spent so many happy years and so it feels appropriate that this loving couple are moving in and keeping their spirit alive. Don’t miss the beautiful video of Goliath and Coralie exploring their new home here.
Thank you for your support that makes the work featured here possible. To help us continue with our campaigns and rescue work: Donate US $, CA $ | Donate £, Euros, Rand
Two weeks ago, we said farewell to Simba an 18-year-old lion at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary who had been part of my life for over 11 years, since his rescue from a circus in Ayacucho, Peru. It still seems strange this week to see his brother, Rey Ayacucho, alone.
We had known it was coming – Dr Caldwell warned us a year ago that Simba’s severe arthritis was nearing the stage when there would be nothing more he could do for him – but our resilient warrior kept going, defying the odds, clambering onto his platforms with his crooked hind legs, roaring with Rey.
A family member is gone. I will miss this magnificent warrior, and I will be forever grateful for the precious years ADI Supporters gave him in Africa.
Back in 2014, we began Operation Spirit of Freedom; with police and wildlife officials, we raided a circus compound in a town north of Lima to enforce Peru’s ban on animal circuses. After a grueling day, we finally finished unloading lions Leo, Chino, Coco, and Rolex at the ADI Temporary Rescue Unit in the early hours of the morning, then headed to the airport and flew to Ayacucho – a city nestled in a valley in the Andes Mountains.
That’s where I met 7-year-old Rey and Simba. They were in a cage on wheels the size of two queen-sized beds, end to end. There was nothing inside, just bare, urine-soaked boards. Imagine your whole life like that, living those freezing nights in the Andes mountains? Little wonder that Simba developed arthritis early in life, and together with early-age malnutrition due to the poor diet in the circus, contributed to his distorted hind legs.
Nevertheless, Simba and Rey stood proud and dignified, stoic, watching carefully what was happening around them, the screaming, shouting and shoving between the humans.
The ADI team was small, we had relied upon support from the police and officials, but they stood back as we were surrounded by dozens of jeering circus thugs and their friends. Just as we got the boys ready to enter the ADI cage to take them away, the trainer would bang on it and send them scurrying back into the circus cage. It took several attempts to get them safely into our cage.
It was a 19-hour drive over the mountains through rain, sleet, and snow back to the ADI Temporary Rescue Unit (TRU) near Lima. I spent my birthday crossing the Andes with Simba and Rey – I can’t think of a better way to spend a birthday, and the best birthday present, ever!
Each time we checked on them during the journey (their cage was covered) they were cuddled up together, keeping each other warm, their manes fluffed up, and they had made a nest in the deep hay – their first comfortable bed. We could see then they would always be there for each other.
In the ADI TRU they found their inner kitten, they loved to play, especially chasing and bursting footballs. They were always together and their travel crates were side by side when we flew all 33 ex-circus lions home to Africa on the record-breaking Operation Spirit of Freedom Airlift – every lion from the circuses of Colombia and Peru came home to the land of their ancestors.
Once home in Africa, as the years passed, Simba’s arthritis grew worse and Dr Caldwell would regularly adapt his treatment. Believing Simba was struggling to get onto his platforms, we added extra steps between each level – Simba thanked us next day by leaping up and down at great speed, avoiding the steps altogether as if to say “I’m not an old man yet!”.
They had spent their entire lives always together, first in a small circus cage in Peru and then in ADI care until one day, Rey was taken ill and had to go to hospital.
It was late at night when Rey returned. It is our practice to keep the animals separate, but within sight of each other when they return from hospital, to let them settle and if one feels vulnerable, it allows them to regain confidence. We did this, but the boys were desperate to be with each other and Simba was getting frantic.
So, we put them together – they bumped heads and went straight to bed in a nest under the platform. It would only be as the sun rose that I would witness one of the most magical things I have seen in many years rescuing animals.
We took it in turns to sit watching all night. Tim’s and my shift started at about 3 or 4am. Then in the first grey light heralding sunrise the lions began to stir – nuzzling and rubbing heads. As the sun came up, they began to play. They nuzzled, head-rubbed, cuddled, wrestled, and rolled each other over. They were cubs again, and Simba joyfully skipped around his brother on his crooked, arthritic legs – in a circle, like a dog with the zoomies!
We let them out of the feeding camp and they marched down the length of Guibord-Sprague habitat, shoulder to shoulder, casually bumping their hips together. They began to roar and the other lions roared back.
In their 18 years, they were only apart again one more time, after a hospital visit for Simba last year. They would wander about and explore separately but most of the time it was always Simba and Rey together on top of the platform, in the long grass, in the shade, or eagerly watching the food preparation to kitchen to see if dinner was on the way.
As Simba passed, Rey let out a deep roar. We left them together and when we finally drove Simba away, Rey did not stop watching until the vehicle disappeared. That night the sanctuary was eerily quiet. Rey and Simba were loud voices in the chorus roaring at sunrise and sunset, but even the other chorus voices, Kesari, Chino and Coco were silent. One of their own was gone.
Our Resident Welfare Manager, Johannes, was designated Rey’s Grief Companion, spending time just being with him, talking to him, monitoring, adding scents and Feliway (the calming pheromone) to his favorite places and giving him treats to see him through the loss of his lifetime friend and companion.
Rey has sought solace with his neighbour Kesari, and they have been lying together by the fence between their habitats. He has been eating well, engaging with Johannes, climbing onto his various platforms, and after two nights, resumed his role initiating the evening roaring chorus.
As new residents, lions Lei-ah & Elsa, arrived early last Sunday morning, Rey’s voice boomed out and his comrades joined in, welcoming the newcomers and announcing them to the whole sanctuary super-pride.
Some claim lions lack feelings, empathy, and other emotions, in truth, because it is convenient for humans, the evidence is clear – this is wrong – the problem is that humans ignore or fail to understand the communications of these incredible animals. Pretending because we don’t understand something, it does not exist. These lions display traits that we could all aspire to, including love, empathy, protection of family and high intelligence.
Like so many of the battered warriors we rescue, Simba’s resilience, determination and his loyalty and love for brother Rey will continue to inspire us.
I still feel sad for the loss of one of the family, but also gratitude for the gift that ADI supporters gave him – leaving a cruel circus cage, to cross the world to come home to Africa, and for all those years living as a lion should with his mighty brother Rey at his side.
Thank you to everyone who responded to our emergency appeal to evacuate two white lions from Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary after it was devastated by a wildfire. I knew you would come through; our team was already on the way, and after a return journey of over 15 hours, the lions arrived at ADI Wildlife Sanctuary at 4am. Lei-ah and Elsa were clearly traumatised by their terrifying ordeal, but are already settling in.
Here is the story of the operation to bring them home….
Lei-ah and Elsa will now stay at ADIWS for as long as it takes for Panthera to rebuild, which could be many months, or even a year or more. ADI plans to help Panthera with other animals during this crisis.
This is going to change some of our plans and may mean we need to build additional habitats for rescues we have planned – so we are continuing to appeal for funds to cover this. But when you neighbour’s house is on fire, you just help as quickly as you can.
Both lions have only partial sight and we will be assessing their vision to see what adaptations may be needed to their habitat, such as around gates/doorways. They currently have access to a feeding camp of roughly 7,000 square feet and to a 2.5-acre habitat once they are moving around with confidence.
White lions, like Lei-ah and Elsa, are the result of a genetic mutation, like albinism. Tragically this mutation is exploited by constant in-breeding for pet sales, with cruel and disastrous effects including deafness, partial or complete blindness and other health problems.
Thank you to everyone who supported this important life-saving mission at short notice. We are well on the way to our initial target, but will continue to raise funds for veterinary treatment, longer term care and potential habitat adaptations. We are also raising funds to build new habitats for the next rescues, which will be the final 7 from Guatemala.
This week we lost our beloved 18-year Simba who passed away peacefully at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, after eleven and half years in our care. I will be doing a special tribute to this magnificent lion, whose life I shared since rescuing him in the Peruvian mountain town of Ayacucho. However, this week we have been confronted by an emergency.
Yesterday, a horrific wildfire ripped through Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa’s Western Cape, leaving most of it in ashes. All 26 of their animals are being carefully monitored due to smoke exposure, and some are in critical condition. They say the sanctuary infrastructure is lost. They have asked ADI for help.
ADIWS will be providing a home for at least two lions and possibly others.
Dr Caldwell has flown down and is treating the animals. ADIWS has offered emergency space for some of Panthera’s residents for as long as they need, and travel crates to help them move other animals to other sanctuaries. Dr Caldwell recommended to Panthera that two nine-year old lionesses, Lei-ah (pictured) and Elsa should come to ADIWS due to their difficulty with their sight, as we have experience with sight-challenged big cats. They may also need us to take a male tiger.
Our team is en route to the Western Cape, and it will be a 15-hour journey back with Lei-ah and Elsa, and possibly the tiger. We were unable to fly them, or our crates, as the aircraft used for internal flights do not have the cargo capacity for our crates.
We will care for the rescues from Panthera for as long as it takes for them to rebuild (which could be a year or more, depending on damage to infrastructure). Or, they may be with us for life. So, these animals could be with us a long time and we will carry the cost.
As we kick off 2026, I would like to share with you some of our special moments of 2025. Some had a global impact, like Poland ending the world’s second largest fur farming industry. Some were simply heart-warming, like Muheeb coming home from hospital and defying all the odds. Enjoy our countdown from ten to one!
#10 Breaking ground at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s been quite a year of construction at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary with installation of the waste disposal and grey water recycling systems, completion of the final wing of the Tohir Staff Village (pictured – which can house 15 people on duty 24/7 for the animals), and the opening of three new boreholes giving us a huge boost in long term water supplies (after the year started with a serious drought).
As well as building up the infra-structure that keeps the sanctuary ticking, buildings were also going up for the animals. Sasha tiger moved into Alexis Habitat (named after our much-missed rescue team colleague Alexis Diaz Limaco) with a new house with two rooms. Sasha’s old habitat (Stephi) was then converted into the ADIWS Quarantine Unit, with drive through disinfectant for vehicles, footbaths for our team and its own washing areas and tools. Goliath and Coralie were the first animals to move into the facility in May. Unlike many facilities of the same name, our quarantine offers a full size 2.5-acre natural habitat with two feeding camps, pools, platforms and a two-room house, so animals can remain here as long as necessary. 2026 looks set to be even busier with work planned for the Non-Predator Reception Area, ADI operations complex and Jean Warner Sprague Education Center and the overhaul of Chris Lee Lodge.
#9 Dolphinaria closing down. As the world wakes up to the cruelty of keeping marine mammals in tiny, barren tanks in the name of entertainment at least five of these exhibits have closed their doors, worldwide. Marineland in France, Marineland in Canada, Dolphinaris Barceló in Mexico, The Dolphin Resort in Bahrain, and Miami Seaquarium in the United States all permanently closed.
#8 US FDA & UK Roadmaps to end animal testing and US CDC to end monkey experiments. We will work to support these proposals to try to ensure they are implemented. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a ‘Roadmap to Reducing Animal Testing in Preclinical Safety Studies’ and the UK Government’s ‘Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods’ could mark a turning point in the battle to end animal experiments. A breakthrough is the FDA acknowledging “…growing recognition that animals do not provide adequate models of human health and disease”, that “over 90% of drugs that appear safe and effective in animals do not go on to receive FDA approval in humans”, and advocating “more effective, human-relevant models”. The UK document maintains a familiar defensive position on animal experiments but does set deadlines for eliminating some tests. Watch for important announcements from ADI this year on how to ensure the roadmaps lead somewhere.
A more tangible result for now is the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stating they will phase out the use of monkeys in their experiments by the end of the year saving hundreds of monkeys. While another victory saw the Netherlands government vote for public funds provided to Europe’s largest primate facility, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), to be only used for animal-free research. An ADI undercover investigation of BPRC exposed terrified monkeys being chased into crush cages; sedated but still conscious monkeys wincing as they are tattooed and used for tests; animals with painful fighting injuries; and stress-related anal prolapses. Help ADI make 2026 a really important year in the battle to end animal experiments.
#7 Britain ends badger cull. Angela Eagle MP, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, announced the UK’s notorious culling of badgers would stop by the end of 2025. The culling policy has been repeatedly discredited and the UK Government is now developing a new, science-based plan to tackle bovine TB – focusing on cattle testing, movement controls, farm biosecurity, and badger vaccination.
#6 Muheeb comes home from hospital and starts to play. The year began with the heartbreaking news that Muheeb, one of the lions we rescued from the pet trade in Kuwait, had inoperable cancer. We all had heavy hearts when he returned from hospital and we opened his crate to let him back into his habitat at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary (Keith’s Happiness Habitat). Then Muheeb ran to the big robust-a-ball that was hanging up and began to play, grabbing it and batting it back and forth, and he just kept playing. He had no intention of giving up. Almost a year later, he’s still playing, has put on weight, and continues to defy the odds. An inspirational lion who reminds us all: Never, ever give up. Watch the video here
#5 Colombian Court backs bullfighting ban. Colombia’s ban on bullfighting was the landmark victory of 2024, so 2025 saw an onslaught from the industry to try to overturn it. That’s what makes the unanimous decision of Colombia’s Plenary Chamber of the Constitutional Court’s to not only support Law 2385 of 2024, but to extend it to other events abusing bulls and cockfighting, one of our magic moments of 2025. It’s always a long, hard fight to secure a ban on animal abuse and it can be followed by another battle to ensure such bans are enforced. The Court has allowed a three-year period for implementation of the new law, and ADI Latin America will keep watch to ensure there are no extensions.
#4 Washington state bans wild animal acts. When Governor Bob Ferguson signed SB 5065 into law, banning the use of elephants, big cats, non-human primates, bears, and hybrids of these species in travelling acts statewide, Washington became the seventh US state with a ban. There’s still a way to go for the US, given progress elsewhere, but another animal circus fell by the wayside with Garden Bros Nuclear Circus removing performing animals from their shows.
#3 Bahati joins the herd. ADI stepped in to help a small calf found in the back of a pickup truck, cruelly tied up and struggling to breathe. The perpetrators are being prosecuted. We named him Bahati, which means lucky in Swahili. This is the most recent case where the SPCA has called in ADIWS to help. We have taken cows, pigs, geese, donkeys, horses, and injured wildlife. We are pleased to be a vital part of the rescue network in our region, enforcing animal protection laws and tackling wildlife trafficking. However, Bahati’s rescue confirms that although we have a lot of space, we are reaching our limit in terms of facilities for them. So, for Giving Tuesday 2025 we launched an appeal to build a new Reception Area for the rescued non-predator wildlife (antelope, tortoises and others) as well as the domestic rescues. Thanks to a wonderful response, construction will start this year so that we can continue to take in these animals, whether they are destined to be in our care for life or returned to the wild after veterinary treatment and care.
#2 Poland bans fur farming. The world’s second largest producer of fur, over 3 million mink and foxes are killed every year in Poland. The ban will end the killing by 2033. It is hoped that many farms will close ahead of schedule, as has happened elsewhere. This is the biggest national fur industry shut down so far, a seismic shift. Many will recall how ADI used hidden cameras in a Polish fur farm to track the lives of young foxes, from birth to death. The farmer was subsequently convicted of cruelty. A stepping-stone to ending the suffering. 2025 also saw the last of Norway’s fur farms closed following the 2019 ban – another country where ADI had investigated fur farms.
#1 Goliath & Coralie step out in Africa. Rescued from a tiny circus cage in France, Goliath and Coralie arrived on the night of May 21 at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa, after an epic journey. With the sun shining, the next morning the door to their house was slowly opened and out they stepped. Goliath first, quickly followed by Coralie, those great paws stepping onto the land of their ancestors for the first time. A glorious moment for two lions, back where they belong, as France phases out the use of animals in circuses.
Thank you to Tonga Terre D’Accueil, which cared for Goliath and Coralie after their removal from the circus following an investigation by Free Life Association, and to Qatar Airways Cargo for donating the flights as part of their WeQare program to help wildlife.
The Christmas holiday season is upon us and we will be racing to a new year, so this will be my last monthly review of the news for 2025. The past few weeks have seen the historic Polish ban on fur farming – the biggest fur farming industry closure – and the UK Government’s roadmap ‘Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods’, which will certainly dominate our work in 2026. As 2025 draws to a close, progress continues to be made for animals and ADI’s role is more important than ever.
Animals in need in South Africa will get a boost thanks to ADI supporters hitting our target of $44,310 / £33,650 for a reception area for non-predators at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. This will enable us to continue assisting with enforcement of animal protection laws for cows, pigs, donkeys, horses and others, anti-trafficking efforts and to care for injured wildlife prior to release. We hope to begin construction in February on the area, which will have eight paddocks and stables/night houses and water supply. Special thanks to a sanctuary founder who provided a matching grant to help raise the funds.
World’s second largest fur producer bans fur farming. While other countries have banned fur, this is a huge step, as Poland is second only to China in fur production. All fur farms in the country will be closed by 2033 saving more than three million animals per year. China kills 3.5 million animals per year for fur, Russia just over 1.5 million and the USA just over a million. Seven years to close the farms reflects the scale of the industry being ended and many farms are likely to close ahead of schedule as has happened elsewhere. Many supporters will remember ADI’s harrowing exposé of fur farming in Poland which led to a successful prosecution – we can now look forward to the end of this suffering.
In the US, an estimated 250 fur farms still operate across 21 states. A federal ban is urgently needed so please support the Mink Virus Act.
The UK was the first country in the world to ban fur farming with the historic Fur Farming (Prohibition) Act 2000, but 25 years on it is still possible for products to be imported from fur farms overseas and sold in the UK. The Fur (Import and sale) Bill needs your support.
UK government publishes roadmap to end animal testing: The UK Government’s ‘Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods’ outlines a plan to phase out certain animal experiments. Unlike the US Food and Drug Administration equivalent document, which highlights the flaws of animal experiments, the UK roadmap maintains a familiar defensive position on animal use. However, the UK document sets some deadlines for eliminating certain tests – for example the pyrogen test (pictured) could be on the brink of a ban. ADI will be putting these US and UK commitments to the test in 2026 – that is when we will see the true significance of the statements. Watch out for updates.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) took place in Uzbekistan, with representatives of almost 200 countries reviewing proposals on trade in elephants, rhinos, sharks, reptiles, big cats, and many other species. Thank you to everyone who responded to ADI’s calls to action. Thankfully COP20 resulted in some wins for wildlife – but also sadly losses. Find out more here.
Construction of the massive laboratory monkey facility in Bainbridge, Georgia remains on hold amid lawsuits and a court review. The company behind the proposal has also acquired sites in LaBelle and Hendry County, Florida, to house imported monkeys and train staff ahead of any Bainbridge operations. Contact Bainbridge city officials and urge them to reject the monkey-breeding facility and protect the community from public health and environmental risks. Link to pre-populated email including Mayor Edward Reynolds – edwardr@bainbridgecity.com
Dr Peter Caldwell had a busy day at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary giving vaccinations and general health checks. Kesari (pictured above) was sedated for examination after the team noted our big boy had vomited and left some food. He weighed in at an incredible 447.5lbs/almost 32 stone – it took 11 of the ADIWS team to lift him! He’s not fat, that’s all muscle, and Dr Caldwell gave him a perfect body score. Our Sanctuary matriarch, Kiara Cusco, was also sedated and declared very fit for her age (17 years old). It was heart-warming to see Scarc come to mom’s / mum’s side as she regained consciousness, watching over her until she was fully awake.
There were also visits to hospital for Sasha who has failing eyesight (see last week’s alert/Blog) and for Goliath to see dentist Professor Steenkamp, who performed two root canals. Lions Goliath and Coralie were rescued from a French circus and arrived at the Sanctuary in May this year.
ADI has been stepping up the campaign to end bullfighting and bull running in Peru. A major demonstration planned to coincide with bullfights in the capital of Lima had to be cancelled, when the Government declared a State of Emergency prohibiting demonstrations, so smaller events were held instead.
At the International Anti-bullfighting summit in Madrid, ADI Colombia’s Yani Mateus and Eduardo Pena presented on the successful bullfighting ban campaign in Colombia. Attendees also held a demonstration at Spain’s Congress of Deputies against the recent decision to block a formal request from 700,000 Spanish citizens for a debate on ending the ‘cultural heritage’ status of bullfighting.
ADI again publicised the suffering of reindeer transported around the country for display at Christmas events in crowded, noisy city centre events, and wrote to venues. If you see any events featuring live reindeer, or other animals, please speak to the organisers and contact ADI. Contact us at usa@ad-international.org / info@ad-international.org.
Thank you to everyone who responded to our urgent appeal to repair damage after a large tree fell onto the ADI habitats at Pilpintuwasi, in the Peruvian rainforest. None of the monkeys we rescued from circuses, restaurants and wildlife traffickers were harmed. Funds are still needed to complete the repairs and for general maintenance of the homes for the capuchins, spider monkeys, coatis and others.
The COP30 Climate Change Conference in Brazil was a mixed bag, failing to deliver the big breakthroughs desperately needed. Positives were that countries agreed to move forward on climate funding, including a new plan to work towards major finance goals and a commitment to triple support for climate adaptation by 2035. COP30 also delivered some practical steps to support fair climate shifts, and the first official talks linking trade and climate. But countries failed to agree on any plan to move away from fossil fuels, even though more than 80 nations pushed for it – showing, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence, just how divided the world is on this issue.
A truck transporting 21 rhesus macaques for research overturned on a highway in rural Mississippi, and eight escaped. Authorities were initially falsely informed that the monkeys were contagious and carrying hepatitis, herpes, and/or COVID-19. Before this was confirmed as misinformation, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department had killed five of the escapees; two were later shot by civilians and the last monkey on the loose was tranquilized and recaptured. These terrified living beings wanted to escape their nightmare.
Animal experiments are unreliable, unethical, and unnecessary. You can help lab animals by telling your MP / Congressperson that you want to see urgent replacement of animal use with advanced, non-animal methods.
ADI continues to publicise the suffering caused to wildlife and domestic animals by fireworks. Two petitions to Parliament now have approaching 200,000 signatures, exceeding the threshold of 100,000 to trigger a parliamentary debate. One seeks to limit firework sales to only those running local council approved events and the second aims to reduce noise levels for consumer fireworks from 120 to 90 decibels. BOTH ARE NECESSARY.
Don’t forget to check out the ADI store for festive goodies including the 2026 ADI Animal Rescue calendar featuring ADIWS residents, Christmas and greetings cards, animal adoptions, ethical bags, clothing, canvas prints, treats for your animal family (like Rollo, Freya and Milo at ADIWS above) and more. Every sale helps raise funds to support the residents at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, as well as our campaigns, such as closing down South Africa’s lion farm industry. Visit the UK store / US store.
Thank you for your support that makes the work featured here possible. To help us continue with our campaigns and rescue work please donate here.
I am constantly inspired by the animals we rescue – their loyalty, courage, resilience, love for family and lust for life, so I wanted to update on an inspirational lioness, Sasha from Guatemala, who returned from hospital this week.
It seems the world has thrown just about everything at dear Sasha, but it has never broken her spirit. I first met her in the circus in Guatemala, she was intrigued by us as we measured her cage, preparing to rescue her. She was limping, and clearly in pain. Our veterinarian got the background from the owners; they had performed a brutal ‘declawing’ operation to cut off her toes to stop her claws growing, and in the process one toe was crushed.
We took her to our Temporary Rescue Unit (TRU) where our veterinary team could take X-rays, take blood tests, and examine the damage. They found the crushed toe had been infected in the past and performed field surgery to remove the toe. Examination of the bone and tissues discovered something worse, a cancer had spread up the bone in her leg. They cleared out any sign of infection and said this would have to wait to be done in a hospital. She would have medication for the pain and to prevent further infection until we could get home to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa. Lions power themselves on their front legs, driving themselves forward – it is harder to cope without a foreleg than a hind leg.
Once she was settled in at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary and Dr Caldwell had studied the reports and x-rays from the veterinary team in Guatemala, he performed ground-breaking surgery to remove the damaged bone, replacing it with a titanium implant. Since then, Sasha has been pain-free. Her limp remains, but Dr Caldwell explained this is due to the shortening of her tendons from years of limping, she is not uncomfortable and has a full range of movement, she can run and leap up onto her platforms.
Sasha is a tough, resilient lioness, she has always been very special. Many remember her facing off with the equally feisty Tanya next door in the TRU in Guatemala. She can also be very demanding and has been dubbed ‘Princess Sasha’ by her carers at ADIWS – she likes her meals delivered in the cool of the evening, she takes her own time to do anything, people must wait. This was on display at the hospital when it was time to come home. Johannes attempted to lure her into her travel crate, but she just lay down in the entrance, yawning (she enjoyed the treats in hospital). Eventually, Dr Caldwell had to sedate her to be loaded for the journey home.
She was in hospital after our team started to spot tell-tale signs that she was having issues with her eyesight. Sadly, the prognosis is not good. An examination by the ophthalmologist revealed retinal degeneration resulting in night blindness, very limited vision and no peripheral vision. Although the primary cause is age-related, this will have been exacerbated by a lifetime of inadequate diet, lacking in nutrition, in the circus.
It seems so unfair that our brave lioness who has endured so much, must face another challenge.
It is the nature of these animals not to reveal signs of vulnerability, and it is now clear that her eyesight has been deteriorating for some time, although she had given no indication, and has adapted to cope. Even on her return, Sasha thoroughly checked out her habitat and leapt effortlessly onto her raised platform.
The news from the ophthalmologist was not what we had hoped for, but Dr Caldwell agreed that Sasha clearly still enjoys a good quality of life, exploring, using her platforms, sitting alongside her brothers Kimba and Tomas in the habitat next door. She is not giving up, and neither will we.
Currently she is navigating all of the 2.5 acre Jacque Habitat confidently. We will watch, and make adaptations as needed. Many will know how important it is for cats to have contact with their families, they love to touch and give affectionate head bumps. I find it so sad that Sasha cannot have that contact with her brothers, because she feels vulnerable, which makes her behave badly. When she spent time with Kimba, she kept beating him up, so we had to keep a fence between them – but they do love to lie next to each other. I feel sure now that this was her feeling blind-sided by her failing peripheral vision.
So, we are going to see what we can do to adapt the fence between their habitats – remove the current fencing and make a reinforced section between her and her brothers, to allow protected contact. They would be able to rub and nuzzle against the fence, without any risk of her hurting the boys, and she would feel secure.
Sasha left her circus cage and crossed the world to come home to Africa – your support made that possible. I hope you will continue to support us in 2026 as we continue to care for Sasha and the others in our ADIWS family.
A huge “Thank You” to our wonderful ADI supporters who have contributed to our special Giving Tuesday appeal – including setting up their own fundraisers! Our target for the New Arrivals ReceptionArea at ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, to provide care and shelter for rescued wildlife suitable for release, such as antelope and tortoises, as well as domestic species, is: $44,310 / £33,650.
We have raised $16,599.04, so far, and thanks to a generous matching grant from a Sanctuary Founder, this has been doubled to $33,198.08 – we are almost there!
If we can raise a final $10,660 this weekend, we will pass the finish line! Can you help?
This new facility with paddocks and stables/night houses will ensure we can continue to come to the aid of confiscated and injured wildlife and abused domestic animals. ADIWS is performing an increasingly important role, in helping to enforce animal protection laws and fight wildlife traffickers.
In our new arrivals’ reception area, we can treat and help a range of species, such as tortoises, antelope, birds, as well as pigs, cows, donkeys and others. A series of paddocks, with stables or night houses, will help suffering animals to recuperate. Those well enough can be released into the wild on our property, others needing lifelong care can roam free during the day, returning to the secure night houses or stables at night.
For many animals, we are the only lifeline in our region of South Africa and so we can play a vital role in education about care and respect for animals, in raising awareness, strengthening, and enforcing animal protection laws.
Today is Giving Tuesday and I would like to start with a huge Thank you to everyone who has already contributed to our new reception area at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary for domestic animals and wildlife like tortoises and antelope.
Lions Coralie and Goliath, from a circus in France, have settled into their new home in Africa but were not the only new residents we welcomed to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary (ADIWS) this year. Two more donkeys joined our herd, as well as geese, a peacock, tortoises and three calves, as we are increasingly asked to help with cruelty cases and tackling wildlife traffickers.
The story of a little calf, we named Bahati, found tied up so tightly in the back of a pick-up truck that she was struggling to breathe, highlighted the importance of this work, not just for the individual animal but if animal protection laws are to be effectively enforced in South Africa. If you missed it, you can read my report here.
It’s possible that the ten donkeys at ADIWS have the best life of all the animals, freely roaming hundreds of acres, even wandering in and out of buildings under construction! Our horses roam freely during the day and come in during the evenings to be fed in their paddock and our merry band of sheep goats and cows led by Matilda are led up to our north field to graze in the day and come back to their enclosure for the night.
We currently have over 100 tiny tortoises in our nursery, while we have released numerous large tortoises on our sanctuary site to wander freely. These magnificent animals that can live up to 100 years old are indigenous to the region but are trafficked to be eaten, the shell used for trinkets or used in muthi (traditional medicine).
Unfortunately, we have reached a point where we cannot take any more animals without expanding our facilities.
Even with the wildlife, like tortoises and antelope that we plan to return to the wild or release on the sanctuary, we need a place to receive and assess them. That’s why this Giving Tuesday, we are raising the funds for a new Non-Predator Reception Area with four 1,600sqft paddocks and four 9,000sqft paddocks. Each with a stable/shelter and water supply enabling us to receive and assess animals as they arrive.
For animals who roam the Sanctuary, this will also provide night and feeding quarters. For others, it may be a temporary home where they receive care before returning to the wild.
Our target is $44,310 / £33,650 and the good news is we are well on the way.
Thanks to one of our ADIWS Founders who has kindly offered a $25,000 / £18,000 MATCHING GRANT for this project, every donation up to this has been doubled.
Will you help us hit our target TODAY?
Whatever you can give, will make a massive difference for animals in desperate need.
Jan Creamer 