The wait is almost over! Next week I will fly to Israel with Tim and on Sunday 2 August we will load young lions BenTzur and Ori, to fly with them to Frankfurt on Monday 3^rd, on the first leg of our journey to freedom in Africa. It will be a long, ten-hour wait in Frankfurt before flying overnight to South Africa, arriving on Tuesday 4August.

The work is now intense, as we ensure everything is in place and we hope there will be no further obstacles to these young lions starting their new life. They have almost their entire lives ahead of them, as much as 20+ years – home in Africa, learning to roar, becoming part of the super-pride at ADIWS.

Can you help bring them home and care for them?  Donate US $, CA $ | Donate £, Euros, Rand

This is another important rescue which exposes the illegal trophy pet trade, which is being fueled around the world by irresponsible social media companies who do nothing to stop it, and selfish, ignorant, influencers hoping for millions of likes for keeping lion and tiger cubs in miserable, unnatural conditions.

Here is a round-up of some of our campaign activity and developments over the past month, including two more big victories for our Stop Circus Suffering campaign.

Hungary has banned wild animals in circuses with the law coming into force at the end of the current circus season. How the tide has turned was illustrated by some of Hungary’s biggest circus companies, such as The Capital Circus of Budapest and the Hungarian National Circus, coming out in support of the ban.

Illinois expands ban on wild animal acts. Having banned elephants in circuses several years ago, Illinois has now banned the use of cougars, jaguars, leopards, lions, tigers, primates, and bears, becoming the eighth US state with such a ban. Let’s keep the momentum going.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposes replacing certain 3-month toxicity studies on monkeys.  ADI is pressing Congress to back the measure and ensure it is implemented quickly. ADI has also met with UK Home Office officials to discuss the Government’s roadmap to phase-out animal testing and we are challenging the lack of visible progress. So far, ADI has submitted detailed responses and critiques to the UK ‘roadmap’, as well as similar proposals from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the EU roadmap, and to the Colombian government on the compulsory use of alternatives. Our campaign to end the use of animals in laboratories has hit a potential new wave of progress, after decades of promoting and funding advanced, non-animal technologies to replace unreliable, unethical, and unnecessary animal use, mechanisms that could drive this forward are being proposed. We will NEED YOUR HELP. Take action when we call. Donate to help. In the UK, visit our Roadmap web page and take action for animals today.

Philadelphia’s ban on horse-drawn carriages signed into law – in NYC, ADI testifies to support a ban. Following cities likes Lima, Malaga, Chicago and Montreal,Philadelphia is the latest city to end the cruelty of horse-drawn carriage rides. The bill prohibiting the use of commercial or non-commercial horse-carriages, introduced by Councilmember Squilla, has been signed by Mayor Cherelle Parker.

Last week, ADI’s Policy Advisor Drew McCormick was in New York to testify before NYC Committee on Health in support of Bill 0943, to ban horse-drawn carriages in the city. There was a huge turnout outside City Hall and dozens of campaigners testified in support of the bill renamed Romanch’s Law in memory of a teen recently killed when a poor horse pulling a carriage was frightened and ran, killing the young man. The law was previously known as Ryder’s Law, after one of the many horses who collapsed and died from being overworked pulling carriages. Momentum is building with a majority of the NYC Council sponsoring the bill and backing from the Mayor – but we need your help to get it passed!

HELP MAKE NEW YORK CITY NEXT!  If you live in NYC, contact members of the Health Committee here and urge them to support bill 943, Romanch’s law.

ADI and campaigners unite in UK Parliament to mark the anniversary of the killing of Cecil. Eleven years ago, Cecil the lion was lured from the safety of a protected reserve in Zimbabwe and shot with an arrow by a pathetic US tourist, killing animals for kicks. He suffered for up to 12 hours before being killed, this tragic incident laid bare the abomination of trophy hunting. More than a decade later, blood thirsty cowards continue to travel to Africa to kill wildlife for fun and bans on the import of their vile ‘trophies’ are still awaited in the UK and US. On the anniversary of Cecil’s death campaigners held an event in the Houses of Parliament calling for the ban on imports of hunting trophies.

Four orphaned barn owl chicks are growing fast at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. Wildlife & Education Director Brent Bester is raising the chicks, mimicking as close as possible, how their parents would feed them. Soon they will be moved into an aviary in our Non-Predator Reception Area for the next phase of their rehabilitation, and once adult, released into the wild. We are posting regular updates following their progress on social media and YouTube.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Modernization Act 3.0 has passed both houses of Congress!  Although not a prohibition, the bill would require the FDA to consider use of ‘nonclinical tests’, advanced replacement human-relevant methods called New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), for FDA approval of a drug or other product to go on the market. The Senate must now pass the House version of the bill, which will then go to the president to be signed into law.

Please urge your Representatives to support the FDA Modernization Act 3.0 (H.R. 2821) to advance science and technology for faster, more relevant results. The Senate must now pass the House version of the bill, which will then go to the president to be signed into law.

Scotland has prohibited the supply or possession of glue traps, with offenders facing fines up to £40,000/$55,000 or up to 12 months in prison. Scotland passed the ban in 2024, but it was delayed due to clashes with UK law. With a ban in Wales as well, England is now the only country in Great Britain still allowing these devices that cruelly and indiscriminately trap animals (including songbirds, bats and even pets), leaving them to a long and painful death. ADI is urging the Minister for Nature to bring England in line with the rest of Great Britain. Ask your MP to push for a comprehensive ban on cruel and unnecessary glue traps.

Two fin whales – the second-largest animals on earth and classified as vulnerable to extinction – have been killed by commercial whaling company Hvalur hf in Iceland, one of the few countries to still allow commercial whaling. The company was granted a five-year license in 2024 but this is the first hunt. In May ADI called on Iceland’s Ministry of Industries to justify or revoke the license for a quota for 150 fin whales. They acknowledged receipt of our letter, but did not answer our questions. Please write to Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, and Minister of Industries Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, and demand they take action to end whale hunting.

UK Parliament pushed to end trail hunting.  ADI’s Bill Carter, George Chilcott and Will Bradley (above) joined MPs, wildlife experts, and fellow campaigners at a parliamentary event to push for an end to trail hunting. Since the passing of the 2004 Hunting Act in England and Wales, trail hunting has been used as cover for illegal hunting. ADI supporters responded to the government’s public consultation and, as part of the Time for Change Coalition Against Hunting, ADI continues to urge the government to deliver its election promise.

White lioness, Lei-ah, celebrates her 11^th birthday at ADIWS.  ADI evacuated Lei-ah and Elsa from Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary after a devastating wildfire. ADI has covered all food, care costs, and modifications to the habitat for Lei-ah and Elsa, and we have committed to doing so for as long as the sanctuary needs to rebuild. Our thanks to everyone who is helping us care for these lovely, unexpected, special guests. We think Lei-ah enjoyed her birthday roaming her habitat at ADIWS.

President Trump’s Executive Order, ‘Declaring a National Energy Emergency’, required the Endangered Species Committee to meet for the first time in 34 years. They decided that the Endangered Species Act (ESA) should NOT protect the estimated 50 remaining Rice’s whales in the Gulf of México, and instead, allow oil and gas extraction from the area. ADI Policy Advisor, Drew McCormick (pictured), joined a protest outside the Committee meeting in D.C. Since then, House Resolution 8919 has been proposed to nullify the Committee’s decision to ignore the ESA, and, would prohibit the planned oil and gas drilling and mining in the Gulf. Urge your Representative to support H.R. 8919 and the ESA!

The UK banned fur farming over 20 years ago, but still ALLOWS fur imports. A Private Member’s Bill from Ruth Jones MP will ban the import and sale of animal fur has received its First Reading and is now due to be debated at its Second Reading on 4 September. IT NEEDS OUR HELP. It is very difficult for a Private Member’s Bill to be passed in the UK, so even though this one is clearly in line with British law and ethics. It is vital you contact your MP today and ask them to support the Fur (Import and Sale) Bill and ensure it is given Parliamentary time to pass.

Portland, Oregon recently passed a ban on foie gras and work continues across the US to end this cruel ‘delicacy’ that involves the brutal force feeding of ducks and geese. Multiple states are considering bills or ordinances to ban foie gras, including Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Washington state, plus Denver, Colorado. ADI US supporters, act now. If you live in any of these areas, check here to see how you can help.

Unlicensed dealers supplying dogs to UK labs as experiments RISE.  UK Home Office latest figures reveal that, despite public concern, procedures on dogs in British labs (which had been declining since 2020) rose in 2025 to 2,889 procedures – a 9% increase. The number of dogs used rose to 1,706, with many dogs enduring more than one procedure. While most of these dogs were bred in laboratories or purchased from licensed dealers like MBR, 8 beagles and 41 “other dogs” were obtained from unlicensed establishments. ADI has requested the Home Office clarify who these suppliers are, what checks were made on them, and the justification for going outside of the dealers ‘licensed’ under the UK legislation. The UK licensing system is frequently used to provide reassurance to the public of the ‘strict controls’ on animal experiments, so why are UK labs operating outside the law?

New York State Bill S7421A / A8043, to ban farming of octopuses, has passed both houses and awaits the signature of Governor Hochul. Washington state and California have already banned this cruel industry. In addition to banning production, Washington state is trying to also ban sales of farmed octopus. Several other octopus farming bans are pending around the US including the federal OCTOPUS Act. Please urge your legislators to SUPPORT the following bills!

• FEDERAL – The OCTOPUS Act to ban commercial octopus farming throughout the US and prohibit imports of farmed octopus from abroad.
• Hawaii – SB 1159 / HB 365 to prohibit the farming of certain non-wild-caught octopuses for human consumption.
• Massachusetts – H.4422 to penalize the aquaculture of octopus for human consumption.
• New Jersey – A1537 / S1080 to ban aquaculture of octopus for human consumption.
• Washington – HB 1608 to prohibit a person from knowingly selling, possessing, transporting, or distributing any octopus from aquaculture.

You can support our campaigns by donating here.

Finally, if you’re enduring a summer heatwave, don’t forget the animals are, too, so put out fresh water every day, and a variety of food if you can.

I have exciting news!  After months of twists and turns, ceasefires, then resumption of war, we have just secured a route out of Israel for lions BenTzur and Ori.

With your help today, the lions will be on African soil on August 4^th.

Seized as tiny cubs by the Police with Israel’s Nature & Parks Authority (NPA) in a crackdown on illegally trafficked animals over a year ago, BenTzur and Ori, didn’t just have a bad start in life, but our plans went on hold as they became stranded for months in a war zone. 

The tiny cubs were torn from their mother when they should have been suckling, to be passed from person to person to pose with as “trophy pets”. 

Treated as a fashion accessories and status symbols for social media likes, these animals are often dumped when the owners get bored, or the animals too big and expensive to feed.  Rescues like this are an important if we are to fight back against this cruelty.

Ori was found in a basement and BenTzur tied to a tree. A zoo took them in on a temporary basis, then after a near year-long wait, they were offered a home in South Africa, only for a wildfire at the sanctuary to end their chance at a life in Africa.

ADI evacuated two white lions, Lei-ah and Elsa, from the stricken sanctuary, and Tim and I flew to Israel to take over the rescue of BenTzur and Ori. We obtained export and import permits to bring the lions to South Africa, and, as they were growing fast, ordered adult-size ADI-specification travel crates built in Israel. With Lei-ah and Elsa in our quarantine unit indefinitely, we began adapting a habitat at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary to take the boys.

When the war started between Israel, the United States and Iran, we were suddenly in limbo. After months of waiting, there is now a way out for the lions and I have seized it.

However, this rescue is coming at high cost, with the war sending prices sky rocketing – there are no free, or discounted, services available to us this time. I desperately need your help to raise $80,000 (£60,000) to cover the most urgent travel, habitat construction, and care costs for BenTzur and Ori.  If we cannot raise the funds for this rescue, it will severely impact our ability to help other animals and put a strain on the ADIWS daily running costs.

Tim and I have just managed to secure the last tickets remaining on a flight to Israel. We will arrive there on Thursday 30 July, ready to load the lions on Sunday 2^nd August and will take off in the early hours of Monday 3^rd, fly to Frankfurt, Germany to change aircraft and finally arrive in Johannesburg on Tuesday 4 August.

I will keep you updated every step of the way.

This is an urgent appeal, please give what you can.  With your help we can change the luck of these two lions and bring them home to Africa. Donate US $, CA $ | Donate UK £, Euros, Rand

You can also adopt the lions and contribute to their lifetime care from our US store | UK store.

Let’s bring them home.

The summer holidays are here and for many, this will be a chance to enjoy nature and wildlife. There are plenty of ethical options, supporting wildlife and nature reserves at home and abroad, and helping wildlife rescue. Just getting the chance to get out in your own yard, fill the bird baths and feeders, then sit back and enjoy the local wildlife is a joy.

The summer holidays bring a chance to see the world, wildlife, other cultures, but don’t be fooled into supporting cruelty.  Here’s a few things to watch out for.

Dressed up as ‘tradition’, bull running appeals to (often drunk) aggressive, thrill seekers. The Pamplona bull run attracts up to a million spectators as terrified bulls race through the streets. Our investigators have filmed these events in Peru and Colombia, as bewildered animals are released from trucks and, blinking in the bright sunshine, are immediately set upon by drunken mobs and punched, kicked, hit and spat on, with this open viciousness promoted as ‘culture’. There is nothing cultural or admirable about such thuggery. Colombian public opinion overwhelmingly (85%) supports the ban on bullfighting, which comes into force in July 2027 – it is not Colombian culture. Yet the organizers of these violent events try to claim it is culture!

So-called bull ‘fighting’ (which is public torture, not a fight), and indeed, rodeos use the same excuses. It is entertainment for cowards and bullies, enjoying acts of cruelty and violence in public, against naturally gentle species – cows, bulls and horses, bringing shame on the whole community. Never support bullfighting, bull running, rodeos, or similar events.

That sunset elephant ride isn’t romantic, it’s abuse.  ADI investigations blew the lid off the cruel training methods in the biggest elephant training centers in the US, with animals beaten, jabbed with metal bars, electric shocked, and crying out in pain. Again, the cowardly bullies choose a gentle species. Footage in the training camps in Asia of baby elephants isolated in the crush device so they can’t escape, then mercilessly beaten into submission, are sickening. ADI has filmed similar training and techniques to instill fear around the world, and ADI footage showing how seemingly ‘affectionate’ strokes and pats given in public are, in fact, a reminder and warning ‘Keep doing as you are told, or you know what’s coming.’ You can see the disturbing footage here.

Despite their incredible strength, elephants’ backs are simply unsuitable for people to ride; with prominent vertebrae, upward-pointing protrusions and little cushioning, being ridden by people is uncomfortable for them and causes severe damage and pain. Never support elephant rides or contact experiences, such as bathing with elephants.

The rule to know and tell your friends and family is – any activity involving human contact with wild animals involves some kind of constraint, altering their natural desires and behaviour / behavior, and involves punishment, brutal training in order to make the animal obedient, all to keep the HUMAN safe from harm. That is the cost of the ticket.

A lifetime of suffering for a holiday experience.  If you are lucky enough to be snorkeling or diving and are joined by a pod of wild dolphins, it can be the experience of a lifetime. That is very different to paying to be in contact with dolphins who have been captured, confined, trained, and their families broken up. All to be ready, on demand, for the next tourist. Don’t be fooled by how natural the setting is made to look, if it’s not the open ocean, it’s not freedom. Wild dolphins don’t want to kiss people or drag them through the water by their fins – those are tricks they are trained to tolerate, not signs of affection. Behind the scenes, dolphins are kept hungry in small pens. They interact with tourists for the chance to eat. Interacting with people is not a choice, it’s survival. Never support the captivity of dolphins and whales.

Circus cruelty continues. ADI’s Stop Circus Suffering campaign has seen more than 50 countries ban wild animals in circuses over the last 30 years, launched with the first deep undercover investigation of the industry. More than a quarter of the nations on earth is good, but there is still a way to go, and many countries allow this archaic cruelty – including much of the United States. Eight US states have passed bans, so far. Forty-two to go. Now is not the time to pause, we must keep going, again and again. These casual public shows involving abused animals, aimed at children, are teaching children the wrong view of other species – seeing them as objects of enjoyment and entertainment, instead of a living, intelligent, emotional individual with the right to their own life on earth.

Our studies show how circuses keep their animals confined in small, barren, spaces for most of their time, deprived of the right to move around, explore, run, play, be with their family groups. Chained, tethered, most of their time shut away; unable to eat at will, or seek out natural fresh water sources. Everything that, for all of us, makes life worthwhile. And then there is the brutal training, with violence, intimidation, deprivation.

This has been an important campaign worldwide, as these tacky shows are teaching children that it is OK to dominate and beat another living being for our amusement, just because they do not look like us, live like us, or communicate in the same way.

Support circuses with ONLY human acts. NEVER go to circuses with animal acts.

State and County Fairs can be fun for families or hell for animals. There can be plenty of fun with motorized rides, games, cotton candy, and more. Yet they also use llamas, camels, zebras and other animals confined, standing around all day, in the heat.  These species have evolved over thousands of years to travel in family herds over miles of open land, exploring, crossing rivers, deserts, grassland, forests. Intelligent, emotional, protective of their family groups, their constant movement maintains a healthy body, and the challenges stimulates their minds. If they were human, the conditions in these fairs would be considered a form of torture.

Worst of all, are attractions like Sea Lion Splash, where marine mammals tour closed in containers as opposed to the freedom of the seas, or the Banana Derby (pictured) where monkeys are strapped to the backs of dogs to race around a track, a world away from their forest homes and the culture they understand.

Check what’s on show and let the organizers know you won’t be attending if there’s animal suffering, when animals are treated as props or toys for fun. If you see anything of concern, take photos/videos and send to ADI so we can make complaints and publicize it.

Social media is flooded with photographs of people cuddling exotic animals, from tiger cubs to baby monkeys. Using them like props. Behind every snapshot and selfie is a lifetime of suffering for the individual animal, and we must let people know that they have created this trade by taking the photos.

Traffickers kill families to capture baby monkeys. Claims that baby animals have been “rejected by their mothers” are lies. To keep them compliant, captors isolate and often drug these animals. Monkeys suffer their teeth being broken off to stop them biting and they are terrorized to perch obediently on people’s shoulders.

Cheap thrills at the expense of animals.  Captive-bred lion and tiger cubs are torn from their mothers so young that they should still be suckling, to be passed from one person to the next. As they get too big to handle, they may go to zoos or circuses. Young lions are also used for tourists to walk alongside them in natural looking settings, but their natural instincts are suppressed, they are forced to be compliant, and life is short if they step out of line.

ADI is working to help the Government of South Africa to end the lion farming industry, which is seen as a stain on their conservation efforts. The farms constantly breed lions for tourist cub petting entertainment, and as the cubs grow, they go to canned hunting operations where they are placed in small spaces for trophy hunters to get an easy kill. Their bones are also sold as an ingredient for ‘traditional medicine’. Data seen by ADI shows hundreds of farmed lions going from Free State, North West Province and others, up to Limpopo in the north, famous for its ‘safaris’. Lions that have been captive bred and fed all their lives by humans are easily lured into an enclosed area, and bewildered by suddenly being in a new location, they are an easy target for cowardly tourists to kill.  Cub petting is not harmless.

City streets in blazing sun is no place for animals, let alone to be hauling tourists. Once romanticized, following one horrific incident after another and the recent death of a teenager, the New York City carriage rides are under considerable pressure.  ADI Policy Advisor Drew McCormick testifies next week at NYC Council hearing on a horse drawn carriage ban, which is backed by the Mayor. Other cities around the world have already passed similar bans including Lima, Malaga, Prague and recently Philadelphia – come on New York!

When animals are turned into a tool to pull heavy loads, suffering follows.  Several holiday companies are no longer promoting camel rides in destinations like Egypt, but camel and donkey rides are common in many places. Tim and I once spent hours going up and down the 588 steps in Santorini, Greece to the town of Fira, in order to document the miserable lives of the donkeys and mules hauling tourists up and down to see the town. It was exhausting, depressing, hot, and animals were beaten to keep them moving. Since then, the authorities have at least restricted the weight of the tourists the poor donkeys must carry, but the depressing business continues.  Come on, if you can’t walk, use the cable car!

ONLY SUPPORT GENUINE SANCTUARIES. When I show people around the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary (ADIWS) on our social media live events, I make a point of saying we may not be able to see the animals.  Our habitats are several acres and so the lions and tigers can disappear if they want; this is their land, their home. If a resident chooses, they can come to the fence and check out the humans, but it is their choice. Unfortunately, there are now increasing numbers of captive wildlife establishments claiming to be sanctuaries, but are, in fact, pseudo sanctuaries, places of entertainment.

Here’s how to spot a True Sanctuary, like ADIWS (we and some other South African sanctuaries operate this code):

• Rescued animals provided with the space and environment necessary to express their natural behaviors and feel safe. (Meaning they have private space). 
• No breeding.
• No public contact or interaction with the animals; inc. harassment for “selfies”.
• No animal shall be mishandled, chased, frightened, or harmed in any way.
• No unescorted public visitation or contact.
• No removal of wild animals for exhibition, education, or research.
• No invasive or intrusive research.
• No commercial trade in animals or their body parts.

The best way of seeing wildlife is in the wild, wherever you are.  Enjoy your local wildlife and turn your garden/yard into an oasis and place of safety. If you are travelling, check out the wonderful wildlife protected in preserves from Africa to the Americas and further away (check their policies).

We have been building the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary since 2018 and construction work for the residents’ habitats, and staff accommodation has been intense, along with roads, storm drains, power, sewage and water systems. So, we have not yet been open to visitors. Next year, we will have limited space available for guests in the newly refurbished Chris L.C. Lee Guest Lodge. You’ll be able to see the animals you’ve helped rescue – lions and tigers from circuses and zoos, as well as antelope, tortoises, birds, pigs, cows, horses and donkeys. Nearby, we have one of South Africa’s national parks, with resident rhino, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, monkeys, baboons and many more.  Please email if interested and we will let you know about accommodation, prices and our opening date.  Email: usa@ad-international.org / info@ad-international.org

As you travel this summer holiday season, you’ve heard the DON’Ts now enjoy the DOs

• Enjoy wildlife in the wild – take home pictures and memories.
• If you spot cruelty, report it to holiday reps, Trip Advisor and ADI (usa@ad-international.org / info@ad-international.org) with pictures and details.
• Support travel companies with ethical policies that do not promote cruel animal activities and/or captive wildlife entertainment – tell companies why you won’t be booking with them. 
• Support the local economy, artists and crafts with ethical souvenirs – never buy products made from animal parts
• Dress with a statement with one of our vibrant, sustainably made T-shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies from our US store / UK store.

Remember most of the wonderful entertainment, art and genuine sport doesn’t involve animal suffering, the World Cup doesn’t even use leather footballs now!  Let’s all enjoy life and end animal suffering.

ADI is entirely reliant on donations, to help us keep fighting to end the bullfighting and bull running; the elephant rides, animal circuses, carriage rides, dolphin and whale shows, and to shut down the lion farms, please donate here, with your actions and support we are winning.

As our ADI US team and supporters celebrate their Independence Day tomorrow, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for giving so many animals their very own Independence Day through your support for ADI.

But first, I have some very special news….

Early on Wednesday morning, Daisy donkey gave birth to a beautiful foal. Within minutes the baby was on their own feet, feeding, soon happily exploring the Sanctuary alongside mother. The resident herd of uncle and auntie donkeys gathered around, with Daisy keeping her body between them and her newborn, as a protective mother should. She turned her back on them, shuffled her feet in gentle warning, not to come too close for baby’s first steps. They were all very respectful and, as we know, the herd is incredibly protective of young animals.

Eleven months ago, Daisy and her family were walking on a road and her mate was hit and killed by a truck.  Daisy was found at the roadside with her son. The owners agreed to surrender the donkeys to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary.

ADIWS follows the True Sanctuary policies, therefore does not allow breeding. Males are neutered, but donkey pregnancies can last 14 months and it slowly became clear Daisy had arrived with a baby already on the way. This is the third occasion a female has arrived pregnant, the earlier babies being Nugget and Eeyore, who have grown up in freedom.

We are keeping our distance from mother and foal and so do not know their sex yet, but do you have any suggestions for a name, boy or girl? We must provide lifetime care for the newborn, and a donkey can live up to 30 years.  Can you contribute to a special ‘Baby Shower’ to help secure the future of our latest arrival? Donate US $, CA $ | Donate UK £, Euros, Rand

It is always emotional when I see the lions we save take their first steps on African soil. For Coralie and Goliath, that was a year ago and marked the end of a decade in a tiny French circus cage. Now they were back in the land where they belong, enjoying acres of natural space – that’s what I call a real Independence Day!

Coralie and Goliath also represent two of the first animals saved as France begins emptying its circus cages. There will be no wild animals in circuses in France by the end of 2028. No one will suffer again as Coralie and Goliath did – that’s why ADI’s campaigns for permanent change are so vital.

Almost to the day a year before Goliath and Coralie’s arrival, Tim and I landed in South Africa with the with the six young lions saved from the illegal trophy pet trade in Kuwait– Muheeb, Shujaa and Saham, Aziza, Dhubiya, and Saif. Who can forget Saif and Dhubiya playing football (pictured above)?

They have all grown so much.  Shujaa and Saham are very loud, big boys.  Saif is developing a magnificent mane, and Aziza is the most transformed of them all.  Gone is that frightened, anxious animal, pacing frantically, we encountered in Kuwait. In her place a confident, powerful and friendly lioness.

Saif, Dhubiya and Aziza have recently moved to the 6+acre Sam & Eric Habitat where we have built a new three-room house and hope to full integrate the three as a pride. Aziza has been excitedly digging for rabbits but hasn’t caught any!  Watch their move to their new home and their excitement…

Six months after the Kuwait 6 arrived, Muheeb suddenly began to lose weight, he was taken into hospital and the diagnosis was devastating – cancer. Eighteen months on, after treatment by Dr Caldwell, Muheeb appears to be in remission. He continues to seize life with both paws, devours his meals and is maintaining a healthy weight, plays with toys and roars with the other lions.

We have built a new 2.5-acre habitat with a two room house for Muheeb, alongside Aziza, Dhubiya, and Saif, so he remains next to his friends from Kuwait. He galloped out into his new home and raced alongside his new neighbor, Smith, who lives next door.

For most of the animals we rescue, it is not possible to return them to the wild. Years of captivity leave deep scars—they are inbred and often cruelly maimed, their teeth broken, and toes cut off to stop claws from growing. They are stripped of the tools they need to survive on their own.

So, it is extra special for us when a wild future is possible.  We have released monkeys, birds and hundreds of confiscated tortoises into the wild. Right now, four orphaned barn owl chicks are being hand reared at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. The next step will be to put them in an aviary in our new Non-Predator Reception Area and then they will be freed. We will be building owl boxes on our barn. Nothing quite says ‘Independence Day’ than a cage being opened and a bird flying into the distance!

Where animals cannot be returned to the wild, ADI works to give them a life as close to what nature intended as possible – preferably in their natural habitat.

We fund the care of dozens of monkeys, kinkajous, coatimundis and bears rescued from circuses, restaurants, illegal zoos and wildlife traffickers. These live in enclosures built at two rainforest sanctuaries in Peru.

I will never forget the day we returned spider monkey Pepe and his family into their forest home. I opened Pepe’s travel crate, he looked out, climbed onto the top, hugged me and then swung away, into the trees with the other monkeys.

ADI’s most important rescue missions have been the huge operations enforcing circus bans and rescuing all the animals in Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala and Peru – approaching 200 animals saved.  We airlifted 29 lions out of Bolivia, a staggering 33 lions on one aircraft from Colombia and Peru, and 20 tigers and lions flew to new lives from Guatemala to South Africa.

Many of these animals continue to enjoy wonderful lives at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, like Kiara, still with her cubs Scarc and Mahla 12 years after we reunited the family when we rescued them from a circus in Peru.  Those residents who have now passed on, like dear Tarzan and Tanya, got to enjoy their golden years with grass beneath their feet in the African sunshine.

Ben Tzur and Ori have been stranded for months due to the war. Saved as cubs by Israeli wildlife officials from the illegal pet trade – BenTzur was found tied to a tree in a yard – they are now the equivalent of teenagers.

But with your help their Independence Day will come.

Today, I have been in touch with our shipping agents in Israel and South Africa and we are working hard to move the boys at the end of July or early August.  Everything is in place for them at ADIWS, where we have reconstructed the old habitats of Saif, Dhubiya, Aziza and Muheeb into a single habitat with a new 2-room house, to make a forever home for BenTzur and Ori.

Independence Day for all of these animals means giving them back their lives.

As you know, the war has caused the cost of the rescue of BenTzur and Ori to escalate massively. The flights cannot be donated by airlines this time, we must pay for them. I want to thank everyone who has contributed, but we must raise more to cover the costs.

Please consider a special donation today. Donate US $, CA $ | Donate UK £, Euros, Rand

Happy Independence Day. I know our rescued animals will also be celebrating theirs.

There is a lot going on with our legislative campaigns around the world and at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa! I am pleased to bring you the latest, which is only possible with your support.

After some optimism in the past two weeks that some cargo flights would resume out of Israel we seem to be back to the same waiting game of the past 100+ days. Each week the cargo companies we are in discussion with undertake security assessments and unfortunately each week the situation remains unstable. We are ready and waiting to receive the lions at ADIWS and will update you when we have some news on flights. Please support this rescue (Donate US $, CA $ | Donate £, Euros, Rand), as previously reported costs have escalated dramatically.

Colombia’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection has issued a resolution to compel the government to implement the ban on the manufacture, import, and sale of cosmetics and ingredients tested on animals. Representative Juan Carlos Losada had drafted the resolution, with ADI support, following a successful lawsuit before the Council of State. The product ban had been included in the law banning cosmetics testing on animals passed by Congress six years ago but had not been implemented.  ADI is also pressing for sections of the law to be enforced that demand the use of non-animal methods and calling for incentives and facilities for the development and implementation of advanced, non-animal methods.

Paige, an elephant owned by Trunks and Humps who have been repeatedly exposed by ADI, was used in a stunt at the Convention for the Republican Party of Texas in Houston. Videos of Paige at the convention went viral when she urinated as she walked through the loud crowds, her handler pulling her along and jabbing her with his bullhook. ADI undercover footage has previously shown Trunks and Humps’ presenter Mike Swain (pictured) electric shocking, hooking, and beating his elephants. ADI contacted D’rinda Randall, Chair of the Republican Party of Texas asking that the party commit to ensuring wild animals are not used for entertainment at their events in future – we await a response.

Contact the Republican Party of Texas and ask that they never use performing wild animals at such events.  Email: info@texasgop.org / Call: 512-477-9821

Earlier this month, Deniz, a 16-year-old carriage horse, collapsed and died in New York City, laying on the street among a crowd of horrified onlookers. A week later 18-year-old tourist Romanch Mahajan was thrown from a runaway carriage after the horse was spooked. Romanch suffered a traumatic head injury and died in the hospital later that day. The incidents have reignited support for Ryder’s Law, the ordinance to ban horse carriages in the city. Councilman Chris Marte has reintroduced it to the council – renamed Romanch’s Law, in honor of the young boy who lost his life.

If you live in New York City, please reach out to the Committee on Health to urge them to support its passage.

Roadmaps to eliminate animal experiments have been issued in the UK, US and EU and may offer the best opportunity for decades to actually end certain tests. The US FDA roadmap has language highly critical of animal testing but is limited in terms of targets. The EU Commission roadmap is the most ambitious in terms of targets. The UK roadmap falls between the two, setting some important targets but is seriously undermined by unnecessarily propagandizing about the assumed value of animal research – referring to animal tests as “fundamental to life sciences research”. This undermines the proposals from the outset, leaving a sense of déjà vu, that the UK Home Office isn’t really committed to the change to advanced science. This is underscored by the failure to confirm whether the 2025 target date to end the Rabbit Pyrogen Test has been met.

Nevertheless, simultaneous proposals to end certain experiments in the USA, UK  and across the EU, with some of the mechanics for change, is significant and ADI is intensifying efforts worldwide.

In the UK, contact your MP and demand proof that commitments are being met.

Milan Fashion Week announced it will no longer promote fur and has urged fashion brands to go fur-free. Organizers Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiania say it “is committed to not promoting fur”, adding that participating brands should not “present garments, accessories or anything else with fur”.  As more fashion houses, retailers, and fashion weeks move away from fur, the industry is proving that style and compassion can go hand in hand.

In May, we enjoyed one of our favorite Facebook lives as the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary began its day, featuring many of our rescued residents who are not seen as often as others. We began with the ducks and guinea fowl in pursuit of Jonas for their breakfast, we met up with Matilda’s family of cows, sheep, goats, Harold the goose, springboks Percy and Daisy, horses Apollo, Amani and Crockett, we watched the tortoises being fed and, of course, some lions and tigers. Enjoy the highlights here

Over two years ago, Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to instruct the City Attorney to draft an amended ordinance banning rodeos. Since then, this has sat in committee. Last week, ADI attended a press conference with Councilmember Bob Blumenfield and our humane coalition (pictured) to persuade the Arts, Parks, Libraries, and Community Enrichment Committee to put the ordinance on the agenda for a vote, but it was again omitted – the battle continues.

A bill in Illinois to outlaw steer tailing, known as “coleadero”, where a rider on horseback pulls and twists a bull’s tail, causing fear, pain, and injuries, has also stalled.

Don’t let these bills die!

• In LA: Submit written comments TODAY on Council File 20-1575 – urge the City Council to bring a vote on the rodeo ban
• In Illinois, urge the Assignments Committee to process the bill and support SB0045

Lobsters endure a horrific, agonizing death when boiled alive. UK law recognizes crustaceans as sentient, but this cruel practice continues in Wales. ADI and other animal protection groups have sent a letter to the Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience & Sustainability for Wales, urging the Welsh Government to end this inhumane and unnecessary practice. Please TAKE ACTION here.

Preparations for the arrival of BenTzur and Ori from Israel have seen a lot of construction at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, so we can move several residents to new habitats.

Smith has moved to the 5+ acre Antonia Habitat next door to his brother, Rey Cusco.

Aziza, Dhubiya and Saif have moved to the 5+ acre Sam&Eric Habitat, where we have built a new 3-room house; hopefully, this will help them to fully integrate as a pride.

We didn’t want Muheeb to lose contact with his Kuwait friends, so he has moved into the new 2.5-acre Keith’s Happiness Habitat next door, also with a new house. 

This has been a major new construction project at the ADIWS, which, including redeveloping the Kuwait lions’ old habitats and a new 2-room house for BenTzur and Ori, is costing $93,000. Can you help with this investment in facilities for these lions (Donate US $, CA $ | Donate £, Euros, Rand), which we hope they will enjoy for many years to come?     

Watch our Moving Day video of Muheeb and friends, Aziza, Dhubiya, and Saif.

VICTORY: The U.S. City of Portland banned the sale of foie gras by 7 votes to 5, as ADI and other campaigners united against the cruel product.

Banning foie gras is gaining traction across the country; we must maintain the momentum. Review the status of foie gras laws in the U.S. here.

After a week in Old Chapel Vet Clinic under observation with Dr Caldwell, Sasha returned to ADIWS in a lively mood. Her blood tests were good, no problems, and she’s been eagerly eating her food. Clearly, she enjoyed her hospital hotel stay!

The Department of Defense (DOD) has labs in Thailand, Peru, and the US, which conduct horrific fire trauma training experiments on live animals. Bill H.R. 6514 Protecting Animals in Military Training Act, would require the DOD to replace, when viable, the use of “live animals, including dogs, cats, nonhuman primates, and marine mammals…in any live fire trauma training conducted by the Department of Defense…with advanced simulators, mannequins, cadavers, or actors”.

Urge your legislators to support Bill H.R. 6514.

Hunting with dogs remains legal in Northern Ireland despite bans in England, Scotland and Wales. The good news is that the ‘Hunting with Dogs Bill’ passed its Second Stage by 60 votes to 15 in the Northern Ireland Assembly. If approved, the bill will not only ban hunting wild mammals with dogs but also trail hunting.

Trail hunting involves a scent trail laid for hunters to follow without chasing a live animal, but this cover has been repeatedly used to evade bans, and foxes are regularly hunted and killed. Our thanks to everyone who joined ADI and participated in the UK government’s recent public consultation on hunting laws, which included proposals to ban trail hunting. We await their response.

Take action here

The Coosa Valley Spring Fair took place at the end of May in Rome, Georgia and hosted the Banana Derby. This horrific spectacle has two frightened capuchin monkeys strapped onto dogs “like jockeys” as the dogs race around makeshift tracks.

Contact the fair organizers at web@coosavalleyfair.com and urge them not to host the Banana Derby next year and to adopt an animal-free policy.

A petition to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission (CPW) to introduce a ban on all commercial sales of furbearing species is scheduled to be heard for initial consideration during the July 16-17 CPW meeting.

If you live in CO, please join AD in submitting comments to urge CPW to adopt the ban and protect animals from the cruel fur industry! Written comments can be submitted here before July 9 and reach out to commission members.

After a two-year hiatus commercial Icelandic whaling company Hvalur hf. announced plans to go ahead with the 2026 whaling season. This came just months after Norway announced its highest whaling quota in years, of 1,641 minke whales. These huge, sentient, intelligent animals have slow maturation and low reproductive rates meaning populations are slow to recover from any threats. Write to the Norwegian officials and Icelandic officials demanding an end to whale hunting.

VICTORY! After ADI Colombia’s two-year campaign, Bill 06/24S – 466/25C passed its final House of Representatives committee, making sex acts with animals and online distribution of videos of such abuse, a criminal offence. Importantly, amendments promoted by ADI were approved, to increase prison sentences and fines for these sickening crimes. The bill will now be reconciled in Congress, then forwarded for Presidential approval.

To help us continue with our campaigns, rescue, and sanctuary work, Please donate here.

We remain optimistic that cargo flights out of Israel to bring our rescued lions BenTzur and Ori are going to resume soon, although, another week has passed with no news. Despite all the talk in the media about the Memorandum of Understanding which everyone hopes will lead to an actual peace deal, the region remains gridlocked due to the war, and so we wait. And the boys are growing, fast!

We remain on high alert, keeping in touch with the relevant parties, and we will seize the first opportunity to bring the boys to their new life, home in Africa, at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary.

After they were seized, BenTzur and Ori have remained in the zoo which provided a place of safety until a home could be found, so, they have now waited for over a year. You will recall we only took over the rescue in February. The Israel wildlife officials have sent us these recent video clips.

As you will see, they are going to be very big boys, and will never have walked or rolled about in grass, run at full speed, never seen other wildlife, nor open sky. Never conversed with other lions. They will hear the morning and evening roaring songs and will learn to join in. They have good teachers at ADIWS – across the road are Rey Ayacucho, Kesari, and Chino and Coco.

We know from previous experience they will start to run, explore, express themselves, take charge of their new territory. They will build muscle chasing around, exploring their new habitat, meeting the local rabbits, mongooses, hares, ground squirrels and other inhabitants. They will fall asleep each night under the African sky in the land of their ancestors, surrounded by their own kind.

Nothing stands still at ADIWS. We have been joined by four adorable barn owl chicks this week. A farmer nearby called us after finding the four chicks had fallen down the back of a grain silo; the parents had not been seen for several days, so feared poisoned or shot and the chicks were getting into serious difficulties.

Brent, ADIWS Wildlife & Education Director, has experience rearing and returning birds to the wild and has taken in the four (as yet unnamed), chicks (suggestions for names are welcome). They are gorgeous, already eating well and we will report on their progress with regular “Owl Watch” videos.

As the line from the movie Field of Dreams goes, “If you build it, they will come” – this could have been written about our Non-Predator Reception Area which has a regular stream of new residents needing our help – calves, goats, peacocks, baby and adult tortoises, antelope (like Springbok Percy and Daisy) and more.

Events outside of our control this year have put a lot of pressure on us. We took in the two lions, Lei-ah and Elsa, covering all food, veterinary and care costs, for what is now expected to be at least a year. The ladies filled our 2.5-acre Stephi quarantine habitat, so this presented a problem for the rescue of Ben and Ori, which we took over at short notice.

The only way to provide homes for everyone has been to move several residents around, but we had to make modifications to their new habitats, costing tens of thousands of dollars. Watch the video of Muheeb, Saif, Dhubiya and Aziza moving into new homes here

The war in the middle east has sent fuel and transport costs rocketing, impacting everything we do, supplies, transport, fencing. Most significantly, the move of Ori and BenTzur is expected to now become our most expensive rescue, per animal.  We must raise $40,000 just to cover their relocation costs, including flights, ground transport, airport fees. Demand for space on flights is huge, so we need to be ready to act fast and seize the first opportunity.

We are still a long way short of our appeal target, so please help if you can. 

BenTzur and Ori have waited too long for their new life, please help bring them home.

Donate US $, CA $ | Donate UK £, Euros, Rand

 

The Government’s public consultation on trail hunting closes on Thursday 18 June, so we have just one week for you to have your say and help end the cruelty.

Trail hunting sounds benign, but since the Hunting Act 2004 banned the hunting of most wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales, it has been used as a loophole to continue the killing.

In theory, trail hunting involves laying a scent for the hunt to follow instead of chasing a wild animal. However, multiple investigations and court cases have shown how hunts frequently fail to follow the pre-laid scents, or even lay a scent trail at all, but continue to kill animals.

Even without these abuses, trail hunting will always put wildlife at risk with hunters and packs of dogs accidentally or recklessly pursuing wildlife – the ‘trail hunting’ theory is what the hunters have hidden behind for two decades.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has launched a public consultation on whether to ban trail hunting in England and Wales. They need to hear from YOU.

Consultations like this shape animal welfare laws and show politicians that people care. The animals can’t take part, but you can be their voice. It’s easy for you to help them.

Please go to our webpage TODAY.  This provides a link to the consultation and we have provided suggestions for answers to questions – you can use these, or use your own answers. Click here to take part.

Thank you for speaking out for the animals.

To help ADI campaigns worldwide, donate here.

After a tough two-year campaign, this week, Bill 06/24S – 466/25C has passed its final committee stage in Colombia’s House of Representatives, making sex acts with animals and the online distribution of videos of such abuse a criminal offence. 

Importantly, amendments secured by the ADI Colombia team were approved – to increase prison sentences and fines for these sickening offences. In addition to the acts of cruelty, prison sentences will be imposed on those profiting from the abuse, recording and disseminating pornographic videos of these perverted acts online, profiting from cruelty, and repeating a cruel act with the same animal. The law supports an education and awareness campaign to prevent such behaviour, and for people to report such abuse.

The bill will now be reconciled in Congress and then go for Presidential approval, with ADI’s team in Colombia confident it will become law.

A huge thank you to Senator Esmeralda Hernández, the bill’s principal author, sponsors, Senator Germán Blanco and Iván Cepeda and Representatives Gabriel Becerra, and Juan Carlos Losada, the members of Congress who supported this initiative and, of course our ADI team in Colombia led by Yani Mateus and Eduardo Peña.

We have seen how the internet and social media has opened a door to dark human depravity, from pornographic videos of animals being sexually abused to the revolting cruelty videos where people pay to watch monkeys, kittens and other animals tortured. ADI is campaigning to pressurise social media companies to take responsibility to prevent these videos being broadcast.

We have also seen the rise of the demand for trophy pets as people parade lion and tiger cubs online, only to discard them when they become difficult to manage – and ADI then picks up the pieces, as these animals are abandoned.

The social media companies have much to answer for – allowing the growth of an industry of fake rescues, where animals are put in danger, terrified, and then ‘saved’, and now, even created using AI tools. These cruelties and depiction of cruelty encourage cruelty, while also pushing real rescues, like ADI rescues, off the tops of feeds.

We have made huge progress fighting the abuse of animals for entertainment exposing the behind-the-scenes cruelty of circuses and animal trainers for movies. We have gained bans on animal circuses all over the world, driven most live animal use out of the movie industry, and secured prohibitions of cruel bull runs and bullfighting – but social media is a whole new challenge. 

In a world where so much has moved online, we must take that on.

We celebrate a huge victory this week, but we know there is more to do. Will you help us fight back for the animals?  Please donate here UK £, Euros, Rand | US $, CA $

It has been an extraordinarily busy time for animals and animal welfare not only here at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary but all over the world. Here is a quick look at many of the issues happening now and progress that has been made. We must keep pushing forward!

We are heartbroken to have reported that one of our horses, dear 11-year old Sammy, passed away this month. Two years ago, Sammy entered our lives, stepping from an SPCA trailer, calling joyously as he ran to his friends – Apollo, Amani and Crockett. Two wonderful years followed with fond memories of Sammy coming to the door for apples with the others – the best of times.

Each day the horses would roam the 455-acre ADI Wildlife Sanctuary and come into the paddock at night. The sight of the four galloping across the hillside was magical. Freed from tethers and brutal hobbling, they were living as horses should, running free.

While we still mourn the loss of Sammy, today we celebrate this gentle giant and remember the wonderful life that ADI supporters gave him at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. Enjoy the sight of him in this video running free with his friends.

Sloth World Florida, which planned to be the world’s only ‘Slotharium’, recently closed before ever opening to the public after a minimum of 31 sloths died. Some estimate as many as 51 sloth deaths.

ADI contacted Florida state and federal agencies to push towards a full criminal investigation and to strengthen laws regarding facility licensing and the importation of sloths and exotic animals.

Florida’s attorney general James Uthmeier has since confirmed a criminal investigation is ongoing.

EXCITING UPDATES – New York state bills A05850/S3629A, to prohibit the use of kangaroos, big cats, primates, bears, and wallabies in a traveling animal act, have passed both houses! After some procedural steps, the bills will go to the Governor’s desk for signature.

If you live in NY, please contact Gov. Kathy Hochul and urge her to sign A05850/S3629A into law.

Illinois banned the use of elephants in traveling animal acts back in 2017. HB 4255, to expand this list to include cougars, jaguars, leopards, lions, tigers, primates, and bears, passed the  Senate (51-4) this week and now awaits the Governor’s signature.

If you live in IL, please contact Governor JB Pritzker and urge him to sign HB 4255 into law.

Following decades of campaigning, protests, and mounting public outrage, Jordan World Circus has dropped their elephant act. ADI brought global attention to the rampant abuse elephants suffered in circuses in its 2014 Out of Control Video. The undercover footage at Jordan World Circus showed elephants used for rides fighting while workers frantically tried to control them with bullhooks, metal bars, and stun guns. The video highlights both the danger to the stressed elephants as well as to the public when wild animals are forced to perform for so-called entertainment. A huge thanks to all who spoke out, protested, called venues, and continue to push for legislation to stop circus suffering.

In more good news, there are no elephant rides at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Texas! After years of urging the venue and sharing with them ADI evidence of supplier Trunks and Humps beating and shocking their animals, we are delighted that the Scarborough Renaissance Festival did not have elephant rides this year. These intelligent, social animals endure a lifetime of suffering for these brief rides.

Let’s make sure these rides remain a thing of the past! Please thank the festival for its decision and urge them to make this a permanent policy. Call: 972-938-3247 / Contact form.

The UK government has launched a public consultation on trail hunting — a practice repeatedly used to circumvent the ban on fox hunting (the Hunting Act 2004). This is an important opportunity to close the loopholes and strengthen protections.

The Government needs to hear from YOU by June 18. Have your say and help protect animals – see here for how you can take part.

The Italian animal trainer/presenter Stefano Orfei announced that he will no longer perform with animals. His last performance with a big cat act was at the Rony Roller Circus in Italy in February. It has been reported that he has handed over four lionesses to the Animanatura Wild Sanctuary in Italy. A ban was passed following a campaign ADI was part of including a screening of Lion Ark in the Congress. However, the ban has yet to be enforced. Until this happens, we urge local action and for presenters and circuses worldwide to stop using animals.

Since 2022, two chimps, Austin and Bossou, have been separated from their troop at Dublin Zoo after the introduction of a laboratory-reared male. They remain isolated, deprived of normal social interaction, and housed in an environment that does not reflect their natural habitat.

Chimpanzees are a highly social species and restriction from social interactions impacts both psychological and physical health. ADI is also concerned that the limited environmental complexity in their current habitat is restricting natural explorative behaviors. The zoo has admitted that the situation is “far from ideal” with plans to find a solution in a 2025 report. There has been no update since.

ADI has written to Dublin Zoo but received no response to date. Ask Dublin Zoo directly for an update on the situation.

The Farm Bill passed the House, containing multiple threats to animals, and is now in Senate committee.

ADI opposes: Section 12006 uses language from the Save Our Bacon act (previously the EATS Act) to prevent states from prohibiting the cruel confinement of farmed animals.

Rep. Gosar’s wolf Amendment would undermine protections for wolves by making it easier for ranchers to claim wolf depredation despite lacking evidence.

The fight is not over. The bill must still pass in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and then the entire Senate. Take action here!

When we purchased the land for ADIWS much of it was denuded by agriculture and grazed out. As well as building habitats for our rescued lions and tigers we have been steadily re-wilding the land. We have planted over 200 trees and continue to see an explosion in wildflowers, wildlife, birds, and insects.

Trees must be tall and strong to be a scratching post for a lion or tiger. That’s why we’re hoping to plant more structural trees at ADIWS. Please sponsor a tree for the animals and the environment here! US $, CA $ | UK £, Euros, Rand

The suffering of laboratory animals goes on in secret, behind high-security doors, in commercial testing laboratories, government facilities and universities. Tests on animals are UNRELIABLE, UNETHICAL AND UNNECESSARY, due to species differences, and the impact on results caused by laboratory conditions.

This year for World Day for Laboratory Animals, we urged supporters to contact elected representatives, asking for urgent replacement of animal tests with advanced, non-animal methods.

In Bogotá, ADI Colombia protested outside the headquarters of the National Institute for Food and Drug Surveillance (INVIMA) using images from ADI investigations. They drew attention to the lack of transparency and oversight regarding animal experiments in Colombia and the failure of the Institute to respond to requests for information. The ADI campaign in Colombia is at a critical stage with the implementation of the ban secured on cosmetics testing on animals, which includes a requirement to use non-animal methods in all areas of research when available.

As seen in our video, around the world, animals are burnt, blinded, poisoned, infected with diseases, and mutilated. They live their lives in small, barren cages, suffering fear, pain, and death in experiments when advanced, human-relevant methods are available.

Write to your MP / Write to your Congressperson

The UK government states that it wants to “encourage farmers” to move from mutilation exemptions such as tail docking. This is a painful process that many farmers perform on piglets without any anesthetic. However, encouragement isn’t enforcement. UK law states tail docking should be a last resort, yet it occurs on around 85% of farms. Other countries, including Finland and Sweden, have prohibited tail docking. This proves change is possible. If all mutilation is banned, then welfare standards will be forced to improve. ADI has written to MPs demanding clarity and enforcement regarding the animal welfare strategy.

You can help too. Write to your MP to demand enforcement, not exemptions. See also our webpage for a detailed overview of ADI’s response to the government’s animal welfare strategy and more ways to help push for change.

ADI has submitted a proposal to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) calling for the phase-out of outdated animal-based drug safety tests. These include the rabbit pyrogen test (RPT) and horseshoe crab blood test, which are still used to detect contaminants that cause fever.

Modern human-relevant alternatives now exist, including the Monocyte Activation Test (MAT) and recombinant Factor C (rFC), which are more accurate, sustainable and humane.

With the RPT already removed from the European Pharmacopeia, we are urging the U.S. to not fall behind.

ADI is also drafting letters to the FDA and Congress to push for wider regulatory change.

Please contact the USP and urge them to remove any references to the rabbit pyrogen test.

The 2026 Pima County Fair in Tucson, Arizona, hosted a number of cruel animal acts: Sea Lion Splash, pig races, pony rides, bird and reptile shows, and a petting zoo. Horrifyingly, this year they also invited back Brunon Blaszak and his tigers. Blaszak claims his demeaning cat act is educational. A tiger walking a tightrope or performing other tricks does nothing to teach people about the intelligence, sentience, and communications of tigers, or how they live in the wild and what they need. This is not the life nature intended for any of these animals.

Help us stop this suffering! Please contact the Pima County Fair today and ask them to no longer host wild animal acts. Call: 520-762-9100 / Email / Facebook / Contact form

The Banana Derby is a cruel spectacle featuring capuchin monkeys strapped onto dogs “like jockeys” as the dogs race around makeshift tracks. Monkeys belong in trees, not tied to the backs of dogs. Disappointingly, the Lawrenceville Spring Fair hosted this horrific event at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds in Georgia. Contact the fair, fairgrounds, and city government and urge them not to host the Banana Derby anymore and to adopt an animal-free entertainment policy!

Lawrenceville Spring Fair: Message them on social media: Facebook / Instagram / Contact form (on their homepage)

Gwinnett County Fairgrounds: Call: 770-963-6522 / Email 

City of Lawrenceville, GA: Call: 678-407-6675 / Email / Contact form

Also, please urge your Congress members to support and co-sponsor the Captive Primate Safety Act, to ban public contact with and the keeping of primates as pets, as well as ban foreign and interstate trade of such species in the US.

Contact ADI if you see Banana Derby or similar acts coming to your hometown.

ADIWS recently had a veterinary and dental day with Dr. Peter Caldwell and Prof. Gerhard Steenkamp performing procedures on Kimba (pictured), Coco, and Mahla.

The three lions, rescued from different circuses in Guatemala and Peru, had their teeth cleaned and polished and Kimba and Coco each had a damaged incisor tooth removed by Prof. Steenkamp. Dr. Peter Caldwell darted the lions for the procedures, performed thorough veterinary examinations, took blood samples, and gave vitamin and supplement injections. Kimba also had an eye examination and was referred to a specialist for review. 

It was a day of routine health care and maintenance for lions rescued from years of abuse in circuses, which leaves them with lifelong compromised bodies. If you missed it, you can catch up on our YouTube channel here.

Last year the UK government finally announced licences for private ownership of primates with the aim of making standards comparable to those of zoos. These came into effect on April 6^th, 2026. ADI remains disappointed that the government failed to enact stronger measures, systematically phasing out primate pets instead of attempting to regulate this unnecessary industry. There are no conservation or welfare benefits to keeping these intelligent animals confined for private entertainment in a country with an unsuitable climate. Yet the government has chosen to take on the cost of regulating a practice which neither benefits animals nor people.

ADI considers every primate species to almost always be unsuitable for private ownership due to complex social, behavioral and dietary needs.

If you are aware of any privately owned primate pets, please let us know.

In the UK, two horses needlessly died at the three-day Grand National Festival and not long after another was sadly euthanized at Sandown. In the U.S., three horses died at Keeneland racetrack during the track’s recent festivities leading up to their Derby Day. This is the disturbing and tragic reality of this cruel sport, while these beautiful, sentient individuals are being pushed to literally race for their lives. Please say no to placing a bet on horse races and encouraging others to do the same.

Etsy announced that as of August 11, 2026, vendors will no longer be allowed to sell fur products on the platform. This announcement came in addition to another policy update that also prohibited products made from animal species designated as threatened or endangered. These are important steps forward for protecting animals and moving towards a fur-free, cruelty-free world.

Unfortunately, there are some exceptions to these new policies that will allow the continued sale of a host of animal-derived oddities. Though many might think of Etsy as a marketplace for small trinkets, jewelry, art, and the like, they also have listings for collections of eyeballs in jars (bobcat, coyote, raccoon, cow, etc.), wet specimens (baby otters, baby rabbits, lambs, piglets, octopus, etc.), bulk baby chicken heads, animals posed in crude ways or using crude substances, and much more.

Ask Etsy to take a stand for ALL animals and to extend their new Animal Products Policy to encompass these other ‘products.’

Message Etsy on Facebook and message their CEO Kruti Patel Goyal on LinkedIn.

LA has been on the verge of confirming a rodeo ban since it passed the council unanimously in 2023. Rodeos using animals are already banned in other Californian cities, including Pasadena, Irvine, Laguna Woods, and Chino Hills. Alameda and Clark Counties have also passed specific bans related to rodeo activities. Help us end this cruelty, such awful displays of brutality to animals should never be entertainment.

Urge the LA City Council to finally hear and pass the rodeo ban! Leave a public comment. For LA residents, you can also find and contact your City Councilmember directly.

The majority of the French public want to see an end to animal testing. Additionally, the EU has committed to ending experiments on primates and instead utilizing advanced non-animal methods (NAMs). Despite this, the French Government continues to plan on expanding the Rousset Primatology Station into a national primatology centre. This expansion would triple the station’s capacity to 1,800 primates for testing, cost €31 million which could be used to create a centre to validate NAMs, just as the UK recently announced, and commit France to outdated methods for years to come. ADI has written to French officials urging them to reconsider this expansion which goes against the majority of their people’s beliefs.

Percy and Daisy were found injured and frightened in a ditch – Percy’s leg was badly broken and he was rushed to Johannesburg Wildlife Hospital where they were able to mend the break. Then, thanks to your contributions, these two adorable springboks were brought to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary’s new Non-Predator Reception Area (NPRA) to recover! 

Due to their injuries, being imprinted on people, and where they came from being unclear, they will not be able to be released into the wild, but when they are fit enough Percy and Daisy will be able to roam freely across the Sanctuary enjoying hundreds of acres of natural habitat alongside our other free-ranging antelope, horses and donkeys.

These small, gentle, antelope, closely related to gazelles, are often the targets of cowardly trophy hunters seeking to mount their heads or horns on a wall or use their hides as rugs.

Orcas Wikie and Keijo and 12 bottlenose dolphins have been left stranded in the now closed Marineland Antibes. Over a year since the park’s closure, not only are the tanks deteriorating but so is the welfare of these forgotten animals. Whilst the banning of cetacean (dolphins & whales) shows in France has been celebrated as a huge win for these species, there has been no clear contingency plan for the relocation of the animals still inhabiting the abandoned park.

In February, ADI wrote to the French Ministère de la Transition écologique offering advice and support on the fate of Wikie and Keijo and the dolphins and getting them sent to sanctuary, with no response. A statement released in February noted a decision would be made by the end of March. With this deadline having passed ADI followed up, again with no response. Several proposals for translocation have been denied due to varying political variables. The Minister for Ecology Mathieu Lefèvre has now announced plans to transfer Wikie and Keijo to Loro Parque in Spain by the end of June, citing the situation as a vital emergency. This is not a rescue, it is the continuation of a life in captivity. Learn more about the cruelties of cetacean captivity here.

Help us continue with our campaigns and rescue work.