About this campaign
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Lions Goliath and Coralie lived more than a decade in a cramped, bare circus cage on the back of a truck, touring France. Now, thanks to new regulations aimed at ending the use of wild animals in circuses, the doting pair of lions are now living on the land of their ancestors at Animal Defenders International?s Wildlife Sanctuary (ADIWS) in South Africa ? free to roam, run, play, and snooze under African skies.
In 2021, France ? once home to one of the most prestigious circus industries in the world ? joined 50 other countries in banning wild animals like lions, tigers, and elephants in circuses. The law is phasing out the cruel shows using new regulations, followed by the full ban coming into force in 2028.
Using the new rules, a complaint was filed against Cirque Id?al by France?s Free Life Association. Despite the circus going into hiding, they were tracked down, and 12-year-old Coralie and 11-year-old Goliath were seized.
ADI specializes in large-scale rescue missions following government circus bans, removing all circus animals in countries like Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Guatemala ? flying 33 ex-circus lions from Peru and Colombia on one aircraft to South Africa.
ADI?s Jan Creamer and Tim Phillips agreed to give Coralie and Goliath a new life at the 455-acre ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in Free State, South Africa, home to dozens of rescued lions, tigers, and other animals. It is not possible to return animals like Goliath and Coralie to the wild due to the inbreeding and damage caused by circus life, so ADIWS provides huge natural habitats ranging from 2.5 acres to 8 acres ? more space and freedom than they have ever known, and a life as close as possible to what nature intended.
May 22, 2025, Coralie and Goliath stepped onto the land of their ancestors and began their new lives at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa.
We opened the door to the feeding camp, and Coralie and Goliath took their first momentous steps into Africa. Goliath was confident and wandered around curiously, marked his territory, and played with a large, tethered ball. Coralie was more cautious, explored a little, and settled down in one of the lions? outdoor platform dens.
The previous night, they had heard the roars of the other lions, and later that day Goliath announced his presence to them with a very loud, deep, assertive roar. Often lions arriving at ADIWS will take a few days to weigh up their surroundings before announcing their presence to the rest of the residents. Clearly very confident, by the afternoon, Goliath was bellowing in response to the other residents.
Coralie and Goliath are currently in a special quarantine unit awaiting a full veterinary examination, a battery of health tests, and Coralie will be sterilized (we are a non-breeding sanctuary, and Coralie is older and open to the life-ending infection in older lionesses).
Eventually, Coralie and Goliath will move into the 7.5+ acre Antonia Habitat.
Goliath and Coralie represent the beginning of the end of another cruel circus industry.
Thanks to the Stop Circus Suffering campaign, wild animals in circuses will be completely banned in France by 2028 and the suffering of animals like Goliath and Coralie will end in another country.
Now, as the excitement of another successful rescue fades, we face the biggest challenge?looking after Goliath and Coralie for the rest of their lives. We hope that will be more than ten years of feeding, care, veterinary treatment, and maintaining their habitats and houses.
Read more about Coralie and Goliath, follow their journey, and find out how you can help here: https://adiwildlifesanctuary.org.za/news/
See Coralie and Goliath's first steps on African soil:
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