After a decade of being confined to a tiny, bare circus cage in France, lions Goliath and Coralie are free to roam a huge 2.5-acre enclosure at the Animal Defenders International (ADI) Wildlife Sanctuary in the Free State.
The lions were transported from France to South Africa via Doha, on a flight donated by Qatar Airways Cargo as part of their WeQare programme.
They will live the rest of their lives with dozens of rescued lions, tigers, and other animals at the sanctuary.
ADI president Jan Creamer, who accompanied the animals on their journey to what the organisation described as “the land of their ancestors”, said Goliath and Coralie lived the first half of their lives in a cage on a truck; now they get to live as lions should.
“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,” said Creamer.
Creamer said these lions suffered a lifetime of deprivation and abuse, living in a tiny cage, bare floorboards, behind bars, with no regard given to their well-being or physical needs. They had no freedom of movement and no space to roam.
She said these lions will now enjoy life under the African sunshine, in their native homeland, where they can run, play, chase the local wildlife, or snooze in the grass.
The organisation highlights that this 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 specialises in helping to enforce these bans.
ADI, based in London, has conducted extensive rescue missions to implement circus bans in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Guatemala.
These efforts included the airlift of significant numbers of animals, specifically 75 lions as well as 40 monkeys in various operations.
According to the organisation, due to the abuse these lions have suffered, their years of confinement, deprivation, and inbreeding, it is not possible to return them to the wild.
“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,” it said.
ADI said 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,” said ADI.
Mark Drusch, chief cargo officer at Qatar Airways Cargo, said he is proud to once again support ADI by bringing these two beautiful lions home to Africa.
Drusch said the airline’s WeQare Rewild the Planet initiative is a commitment to returning wildlife and endangered species to their natural habitat, free of charge.
“It takes a lot of effort and logistics for our team to organise moving such large animals; from the logistics at the airports, loading and unloading the animals from the aircraft, to ensuring the correct cages and wellbeing of the animals are in place, but it is something we are all collectively very proud and passionate to be a part of.”
