I am constantly inspired by the animals we rescue – their loyalty, courage, resilience, love for family and lust for life, so I wanted to update on an inspirational lioness, Sasha from Guatemala, who returned from hospital this week.

It seems the world has thrown just about everything at dear Sasha, but it has never broken her spirit. I first met her in the circus in Guatemala, she was intrigued by us as we measured her cage, preparing to rescue her. She was limping, and clearly in pain. Our veterinarian got the background from the owners; they had performed a brutal ‘declawing’ operation to cut off her toes to stop her claws growing, and in the process one toe was crushed.

We took her to our Temporary Rescue Unit (TRU) where our veterinary team could take X-rays, take blood tests, and examine the damage. They found the crushed toe had been infected in the past and performed field surgery to remove the toe. Examination of the bone and tissues discovered something worse, a cancer had spread up the bone in her leg. They cleared out any sign of infection and said this would have to wait to be done in a hospital. She would have medication for the pain and to prevent further infection until we could get home to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa. Lions power themselves on their front legs, driving themselves forward – it is harder to cope without a foreleg than a hind leg.

Once she was settled in at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary and Dr Caldwell had studied the reports and x-rays from the veterinary team in Guatemala, he performed ground-breaking surgery to remove the damaged bone, replacing it with a titanium implant. Since then, Sasha has been pain-free. Her limp remains, but Dr Caldwell explained this is due to the shortening of her tendons from years of limping, she is not uncomfortable and has a full range of movement, she can run and leap up onto her platforms.

Sasha is a tough, resilient lioness, she has always been very special. Many remember her facing off with the equally feisty Tanya next door in the TRU in Guatemala. She can also be very demanding and has been dubbed ‘Princess Sasha’ by her carers at ADIWS – she likes her meals delivered in the cool of the evening, she takes her own time to do anything, people must wait. This was on display at the hospital when it was time to come home. Johannes attempted to lure her into her travel crate, but she just lay down in the entrance, yawning (she enjoyed the treats in hospital). Eventually, Dr Caldwell had to sedate her to be loaded for the journey home.

She was in hospital after our team started to spot tell-tale signs that she was having issues with her eyesight. Sadly, the prognosis is not good.  An examination by the ophthalmologist revealed retinal degeneration resulting in night blindness, very limited vision and no peripheral vision. Although the primary cause is age-related, this will have been exacerbated by a lifetime of inadequate diet, lacking in nutrition, in the circus.

It seems so unfair that our brave lioness who has endured so much, must face another challenge.

It is the nature of these animals not to reveal signs of vulnerability, and it is now clear that her eyesight has been deteriorating for some time, although she had given no indication, and has adapted to cope. Even on her return, Sasha thoroughly checked out her habitat and leapt effortlessly onto her raised platform.

The news from the ophthalmologist was not what we had hoped for, but Dr Caldwell agreed that Sasha clearly still enjoys a good quality of life, exploring, using her platforms, sitting alongside her brothers Kimba and Tomas in the habitat next door. She is not giving up, and neither will we.

Currently she is navigating all of the 2.5 acre Jacque Habitat confidently.  We will watch, and make adaptations as needed.  Many will know how important it is for cats to have contact with their families, they love to touch and give affectionate head bumps. I find it so sad that Sasha cannot have that contact with her brothers, because she feels vulnerable, which makes her behave badly. When she spent time with Kimba, she kept beating him up, so we had to keep a fence between them – but they do love to lie next to each other.  I feel sure now that this was her feeling blind-sided by her failing peripheral vision.

So, we are going to see what we can do to adapt the fence between their habitats – remove the current fencing and make a reinforced section between her and her brothers, to allow protected contact. They would be able to rub and nuzzle against the fence, without any risk of her hurting the boys, and she would feel secure.

Sasha left her circus cage and crossed the world to come home to Africa – your support made that possible. I hope you will continue to support us in 2026 as we continue to care for Sasha and the others in our ADIWS family. 

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A huge “Thank You” to our wonderful ADI supporters who have contributed to our special Giving Tuesday appeal – including setting up their own fundraisers!  Our target for the New Arrivals Reception Area at ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, to provide care and shelter for rescued wildlife suitable for release, such as antelope and tortoises, as well as domestic species, is: $44,310 / £33,650.

We have raised $16,599.04, so far, and thanks to a generous matching grant from a Sanctuary Founder, this has been doubled to $33,198.08 – we are almost there!

If we can raise a final $10,660 this weekend, we will pass the finish line!  Can you help?

This new facility with paddocks and stables/night houses will ensure we can continue to come to the aid of confiscated and injured wildlife and abused domestic animals. ADIWS is performing an increasingly important role, in helping to enforce animal protection laws and fight wildlife traffickers.

In our new arrivals’ reception area, we can treat and help a range of species, such as tortoises, antelope, birds, as well as pigs, cows, donkeys and others. A series of paddocks, with stables or night houses, will help suffering animals to recuperate. Those well enough can be released into the wild on our property, others needing lifelong care can roam free during the day, returning to the secure night houses or stables at night.

For many animals, we are the only lifeline in our region of South Africa and so we can play a vital role in education about care and respect for animals, in raising awareness, strengthening, and enforcing animal protection laws.

Can you spare something today for the suffering horses, donkeys, pigs and wildlife of South Africa? Donate US $, CA $ | Donate UK, Euros, Rand 

One more push to build our reception units will protect animals in need.

Today is Giving Tuesday and I would like to start with a huge Thank you to everyone who has already contributed to our new reception area at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary for domestic animals and wildlife like tortoises and antelope.

Lions Coralie and Goliath, from a circus in France, have settled into their new home in Africa but were not the only new residents we welcomed to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary (ADIWS) this year. Two more donkeys joined our herd, as well as geese, a peacock, tortoises and three calves, as we are increasingly asked to help with cruelty cases and tackling wildlife traffickers.

The story of a little calf, we named Bahati, found tied up so tightly in the back of a pick-up truck that she was struggling to breathe, highlighted the importance of this work, not just for the individual animal but if animal protection laws are to be effectively enforced in South Africa. If you missed it, you can read my report here.

It’s possible that the ten donkeys at ADIWS have the best life of all the animals, freely roaming hundreds of acres, even wandering in and out of buildings under construction!  Our horses roam freely during the day and come in during the evenings to be fed in their paddock and our merry band of sheep goats and cows led by Matilda are led up to our north field to graze in the day and come back to their enclosure for the night.

We currently have over 100 tiny tortoises in our nursery, while we have released numerous large tortoises on our sanctuary site to wander freely. These magnificent animals that can live up to 100 years old are indigenous to the region but are trafficked to be eaten, the shell used for trinkets or used in muthi (traditional medicine).

Unfortunately, we have reached a point where we cannot take any more animals without expanding our facilities.

Even with the wildlife, like tortoises and antelope that we plan to return to the wild or release on the sanctuary, we need a place to receive and assess them. That’s why this Giving Tuesday, we are raising the funds for a new Non-Predator Reception Area with four 1,600sqft paddocks and four 9,000sqft paddocks.  Each with a stable/shelter and water supply enabling us to receive and assess animals as they arrive.

For animals who roam the Sanctuary, this will also provide night and feeding quarters. For others, it may be a temporary home where they receive care before returning to the wild.

Our target is $44,310 / £33,650 and the good news is we are well on the way.

Thanks to one of our ADIWS Founders who has kindly offered a $25,000 / £18,000 MATCHING GRANT for this project, every donation up to this has been doubled.

Will you help us hit our target TODAY?

Whatever you can give, will make a massive difference for animals in desperate need.

Please help in any way you can: Donate US $, CA $ | Donate UK, Euros, Rand | Donate to our Facebook Fundraiser