I am heartbroken to announce that our dear Tanya, Tarzan’s lifetime companion and protector, has passed away. Tanya was 15-16 years old and rescued from a circus in Guatemala with her lifelong love, Tarzan.

Tanya was taken into hospital this week after becoming unwell. Dr Caldwell said he felt nauseous on seeing her scans and x-rays, knowing what this would mean – Tanya had a lymphoma in her spleen which had spread and was impacting her intestine, putting pressure on her internal organs, and causing respiratory distress. It was not operable, we had to let her go.

As many will know from our posts over the years, sadly, cancer is common in our circus survivors. Their terrible existence in the circus is all high stress levels, bare boards and bars, no room to move, nothing of interest, frustration, abuse and malnutrition; all of this impacts their health. Peter advised this type of lymphoma spreads rapidly and then hits with a multitude of symptoms; in this case it was a sudden lack of appetite, constipation and her breathing.

In the 48 hours before she was taken into hospital, Tarzan was nursing and protecting her. He has been calm and not stressed since she left and we now believe he was aware she was dying. Our team is following our grief protocols with Tarzan to help him through his loss.

How Tanya and Tarzan Got Away from the Circus

Tanya and Tarzan stole people’s hearts around the world with their incredible devotion to each other and displays of affection. Together, they saw each other through the worst of times in a circus in Guatemala and the best of times in the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary (ADIWS), South Africa.

Seven years ago, Tanya and her beloved Tarzan were rescued during ADI’s Operation Liberty, when, with Guatemalan officials, we seized all the wild animals from circuses to enforce the Guatemala Government’s animal circus ban. We found them in a tiny, bare cage the size of a queen bed, on the back of a truck. Tanya and Tarzan’s circus existence was brutal – a lifetime of people hitting, shouting, screaming, being pushed in and out of tiny cages, and performances. No respite. Nothing of interest to engage these highly intelligent, emotional beings. No veterinary care. Malnourished, with food so poor it could barely sustain life.

Nevertheless, Tanya was always brave, a tiny, ferocious protector and defender of her beloved Tarzan. In a foolish and ignorant move, the circus allowed a full-grown male tiger into the same space as full-grown Tarzan. The tiger attacked and Tarzan fought for his life. Tanya fought to defend her Tarzan and came out of the fight with her ear torn and covered in scars. In the bloody encounter, Tarzan’s bottom lip was torn from his face and healed hanging from his chin.

When they arrived at the ADI Temporary Rescue Unit (TRU) in Guatemala from the circus, young lioness Sasha (from another circus) was in the next exercise enclosure and approached the fence to see the huge, handsome Tarzan; feisty little Tanya threw herself between Tarzan and Sasha, making it clear he was hers!

Following 18 months in ADI’s TRU, in January 2020 we flew 17 lions and tigers, including Tarzan and Tanya, to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary (ADIWS) in South Africa. It was one of our most complex journeys, via Mexico, Belgium and Qatar with Tarzan and Tanya sharing a pallet so they could see each other. Reunited in the ADIWS, Tanya first saw Tarzan when she was at the top of a platform, and jumped right on top of him!

Watch the video of that rescue and their journey home.

Home in Africa, the pair loved life in the 4-acre Augie Habitat at ADIWS, playing with toys, sitting in shade of the little woodland, watching the world go by from the top of their platforms, roaring out the day’s news with the neighbours, and – most enjoyable – taking their time to walk ever-so-slowly when called in for their food or treats with supplements/meds. They had quickly noticed the human carers are not allowed to move on until they had their meds and food!

Dr Caldwell performed a ground-breaking lip lift on Tarzan, re-attaching his lip as much as was possible. We took Tanya to the hospital as well to keep him company, and the video of her nuzzling his face on their return to their habitat at ADIWS was very special.

They would sleep holding each other, and gave each other great big, washy wet kisses. Over the years, Tanya remained as feisty and protective of Tarzan as when they arrived; during the Facebook lives, we got used to her grumbling and growling if she felt the camera was getting too close to Tarzan! In recent weeks, she watched over and nursed Tarzan as he struggled with osteoarthritis, and then, we noticed Tarzan did the same when she got sick.

Their love and loyalty will forever be an inspiration to us all. We will miss you, Tanya.

Thank you to everyone who made their life at ADIWS possible. Today, it is heartbreaking, but always remember the precious seven years of happiness you gave them. We know that many supporters like to give in memoriam donations when this happens, so if you would like to remember Tanya and help us continue to look after Tarzan you can donate here: Donate US $, CA $ | Donate UK £, Euros, Rand