If you have been following our Owl Watch series, you will have seen the baby owls being nursed, nurtured and finally learning to fly.  Now, they have been released into the wild, and you can see the uplifting video below.

When we founded the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in 2018, we were addressing the desperate need for homes for lions and tigers as ADI’s Stop Circus Suffering relentlessly closed down circuses around the world. Over the last 30 years, we have gone from zero to over 50 countries now, with either all animals, or wild animal circus bans. And so, our Sanctuary grew. However, we never imagined just how many different animals would then need ADI as a lifeline, in a region where safe havens for animals are in short supply.

ADI is now there to help enforce South Africa’s anti-cruelty laws, enabling animals like horses, donkeys, cows, sheep, chickens, geese, and more to be seized from abuse and neglect. Over 100 tortoises have been seized from traffickers and found a home with us, and we have provided safety, veterinary care and nursed back to health, those injured and saved from hunters, like antelope.

Earlier this year, I called for your help for a new structure, a ‘Non-Predator Reception Area’ (NPRA), with paddocks, stables, pig and tortoise housing and enclosures where we could care for any species as they arrived. With the support of a matching grant from one of our wonderful ADIWS Founders, you have all made it possible.

The first animals to move into the new facility, were the delightful springboks, Percy and Daisy, who had been found severely injured in a ditch; we are building their health and strength to be released to roam free across the Sanctuary. This is now the hub for caring for all of the animals at the Sanctuary, aside from the lions and tigers – pigs, goats, sheep, cows, horses, donkeys, and the addition of a small heated house is now a safe home for almost 100 baby tortoises seized from traffickers, who can join our wild tortoises on the property.

Three months ago, we got a call from a local farmer saying four owl chicks had fallen from their nest on top of a silo and the parents had not been seen for a week. Brent, our Wildlife & Education Director, picked up the owls and initially, moved them into his kitchen where he and his team fed them with tweezers.

The rehabilitation was as hand-off as possible, keeping human contact to a minimum.  As they grew, we moved them to an aviary section of the NPRA and here, the magic really began! I will never forget standing in the aviary at sunset a few weeks ago, as the owls woke up and came out to start flying,  with the lions roaring in the background. A perfect moment in ADI’s holistic efforts to help all animals in need. 

On social media, ADI supporters voted to name our young owls.  ‘Grant’ was named in memory of ADI supporter Karin Grant who passed away recently. We think this young owl, the first to fly from the aviary into the sunset and a new life this week, is a beautiful tribute to someone who helped ensure a life for these young owls and other animals at ADIWS. The other owls were given Sesotho (the language of our region of South Africa) names: Neo (meaning “Gift”), Tshepo (“Hope”) and Lesedi (“Light”).

Neo and Tshepo quickly flew after Grant. However, Lesedi appears to be a little behind in his development, and we believe was injured in the fall from the nest at the top of the silo; he is flying, but not very well yet.  The veterinarian is monitoring him, and if he cannot fly properly, Lesedi will have a lifetime home in the ADIWS aviary and will be able to communicate with his siblings.

WATCH AS THEY FLY FREE – enjoy this short heartwarming video, symbolising so much of what we try to do together.

You have helped us to continually expand ADI’s vision and scope to help even more animals; our Sanctuary will provide an education centre (planned construction next year) where schools can bring students to learn about other species, their intelligence, emotions, communications and hopefully engender respect for those who don’t look like us, live like us, or communicate in the same way and ultimately, want to care and protect our fellow earthlings.

Your support today will help even more.