With plenty of open space, the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary has become a beacon of hope in our region, where facilities for animals rescued from abuse are very limited. Earlier this year, we took in a family of donkeys from an abandoned tourist lodge. With your help, they have now been joined by a lovely group of eights goats and two sheep, led by Matilda the cow. Together, they now enjoy a life of freedom, respect, and care. See video here.
 
This month, we hope to welcome two pigs and a small family of horses found hobbled in a street, all needed the space to roam freely, with secure night housing and care – you can support their care here.

On Tuesday December 5, Los Angeles City Council heard speakers from both sides on the ordinance to ban rodeos. Ahead of the hearing, ADI and other groups and advocates held a rally in support, with huge media interest. I gave interviews and spoke at the media event outside of City Hall, and both Tim and I gave testimony to the Council members. The rodeo supporters were out in force, including making their horses stand in the sun for hours upon hours without moving, carrying large people on their backs. They then flooded the council chamber but lost by a unanimous vote for the ban. However, it will return to committee for amendments to clarify exactly what performances will be covered. ADI will continue to work in our coalition with Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, to secure this essential ban so that the city of Los Angeles can put these shameful events behind them.

As Christmas events take place across the world, reindeer are being used as props in noisy, crowded areas – a world away from the habitat in which these highly sensitive, sentient beings evolved. ADI has written to event organizers to request they end the use of reindeer. If you see live animals at events near you, please contact organizers and urge them to adopt a policy to exclude the use of live animals in performances or displays.

ADI protested at one of horse racing’s biggest events, the Breeders Cup in Santa Anita Park, California. During the preceding week, two horses tragically died, one after a workout injury and the other suffered a cardiac arrest on the track. Such tragedies are not uncommon, and many lives are brutally ended for this so-called sport. In 2023, at least 79 horses have died at California racetracks (25 at Santa Anita alone) and almost 500 nation-wide.

Born in a circus cage in Guatemala, Kimba and Tomas were torn apart when Tomas was sent to a zoo, leaving Kimba with the circus. Rescued during our Operation Liberty mission when Guatemala banned animal circuses, the boys met again in the ADI Temporary Custody Unit, and then reunited at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. Their heart-warming story hit the headlines in the UK, featured in The Daily Star, Daily Express, and Daily Mirror!

Our Giving Tuesday appeal was to complete the ADIWS Staff Village, and you have helped raise more than a third ($15,595.38) towards getting the job done! You can still support this important appeal to ensure the Resident Welfare Team can take care of themselves, after taking care of our residents.

In Colombia’s Sixth Commission of the House of Representatives, the third of four debates needed for the bill to ban bullfighting was blocked by Representatives (encouraged by the bullfighting industry) leaving the meeting and making it inquorate. Bullfighting supporters had also previously tried several times to sabotage proceedings, including false claims about ADI and others, which were rejected by the Commission. To succeed, the bill must pass two more debates, so the battle continues.

ADI urged Georgia’s Colombia County Fall Fair to cancel their two wild animal acts. For the ‘Banana Derby’, capuchin monkeys are strapped onto dogs for races, and for the ‘Sea Lion Splash’ performance, captive sea lions perform tricks, diving in shallow pools. If you see any performing animal events advertised for your area, please contact ADI.

Our inflatable owl monkey continues to tour Colombia, meeting 400 schoolchildren from INEM Santiago Pérez public school, Bogotá. ADI’s Yani Mateus spoke about the natural behavior of wild owl monkeys and their treatment in laboratories. The school’s Animalist Children’s Club was created over ten years ago.

We are deeply saddened to say goodbye to a kind soul, Professor Benjamin Zephaniah, a gifted musician, writer and poet, acknowledged as one of Britain’s 50 greatest writers, was vegan and a huge friend of the animals, always supporting our campaigns. Known to many in recent years for his role in Peaky Blinders, Benjamin regularly attended our rallies, appeared in our videos and backed ADI campaigns. A hugely compassionate voice for people and animals has been lost. May your legacy live forevermore, and may it inspire the same kindness and love with which you led your life. Our thoughts and condolences are with Benjamin’s family and friends during this truly tragic time.

This Sunday, December 10, Tim and I will be in Los Angeles for a presentation of ‘Inside Liberty’, the story of ADI’s 19-month mission to empty Guatemala’s circus cages. If you can make it, it’s not too late to get your tickets, priced $20. We’d love to see you there! 
 
Wherever you are, you can hear freedom roar. Watch our award-winning documentary Lion Ark, charting our epic rescue in Bolivia here.