Rescued circus lions’ new life in South Africa

After more than a decade in a tiny, bare circus cage in France, lions Goliath and Coralie stepped out into the land of their ancestors at the Animal Defenders International (ADI) Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa.

The lions are basking in the African sunshine in a huge 2.5-acre enclosure at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary following an airlift from France to South Africa via Doha, donated by Qatar Airways Cargo as part of their WeQare program.

ADI President Jan Creamer, who accompanied the animals on their voyage, said: “When you see these two magnificent lions living so close to what nature intended, it shows how wrong it is to keep them in circus cages, just for entertainment. Goliath and Coralie lived the first half of their lives in a cage on a truck, now they get to live as lions should.”

The rescue marks another important step in the global Stop Circus Suffering campaign which has seen more than 50 countries (and seven US states) ban wild animals in circuses. The ADI Wildlife Sanctuary specializes in helping to enforce these bans.

London based ADI has undertaken huge rescue operations to enforce circus bans in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Guatemala resulting in airlifts of 33, 25 and 17 lions and 40 monkeys at a time.

Due to the abuse they have suffered, their years of confinement, deprivation and in-breeding, it is not possible to return these animals to the wild. The ADI Wildlife Sanctuary provides a lifeline for them.

Goliath and Coralie’s flight to freedom marks the beginning of the end for wild animal acts in France. In 2021, France passed a law phasing out wild animals in circuses, prohibiting further breeding and setting minimum welfare standards, with a full ban coming into force in 2028.

The new regulations enabled Goliath and Coralie to be seized from the circus following an investigation by France’s Free Life Association. The lions were taken into Tonga Terre d'Accueil,a temporary holding facility for confiscated wildlife near Lyon, and ADI offered to provide a forever home in South Africa.

Goliath and Coralie are currently in a 2.5-acre quarantine unit at ADIWS where they have received a full medical examination, vaccinations, and a battery of health checks. After the quarantine period, they will move to a huge 7.5-acre habitat.

ADI is now appealing for donations to support lifetime care for Goliath and Coralie, who could enjoy ten years of freedom to roam in a secure habitat, under African skies: https://act.ad-international.org/page/169158/donate/1

Watch the video of their story: https://youtu.be/1LnqASZcdzA?si=wuIRx-SVMjO2LRV-