| I wanted to share this wonderful picture of Tomas and Kimba dozing in the grass at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary – a perfect picture of the tranquil life they now enjoy. The boys were born in a circus in Guatemala and lived in cages smaller than a double bed. Eventually, Tomas was sent to a local zoo and the circus kept Kimba. Then ADI’s campaign to ban animal circuses swept Latin America, and Guatemala joined the growing list of countries banning animal circuses. Kimba was rescued by ADI as we enforced the law and emptied the country’s circuses. It looked like Tomas had missed his chance and would live out his life in a Guatemalan zoo. Then, a few weeks after the seizures of the animals had started, the zoo surrendered Tomas to us (giving us 20 minutes notice), but we had a space near his brother. So, at the end of the mission we airlifted 17 tigers and lions to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa, where we reunited Tomas and Kimba. The boys are rarely apart in the 2.5-acre Avi Habitat, and often sleep cuddled up together. Our large habitats mean our residents can disappear into the bush, so the drone is a useful tool for locating them. As you can see in this picture, we fly high, so not to disturb our sleeping beauties! It doesn’t get more peaceful than this image, such a contrast to the small bare, circus cage on wheels they were born in – your support transformed their lives. You can find out more about the sanctuary and how to adopt the boys here. Help today. Join ADI’s worldwide campaign to end use of animals in entertainment for circuses, public displays, rides, zoos, movies, and social media. I hope your weekend is as relaxing as that of Kimba and Tomas. |
Jan Creamer 