Life at the circus
Maggie and Sonja were confiscated from a circus in Germany, where they had been living in a cramped trailer. As you can imagine, circus life is highly stressful for wild animals – confined in completely inadequate conditions, and forced to perform unnatural tricks in the bright lights and noise of the big top.
Fortunately, the sisters were given a wonderful temporary home by our long-term colleagues at Natuurhulpcentrum, a wildlife rescue centre in Belgium. With expert care they recovered, although Maggie needed extensive medical treatment for a wounded tail.
Then in January 2015, a fantastic day dawned. Maggie and Sonja were gently loaded into purpose-built travel crates and, under our watchful eye, travelled 8,000 miles by road, rail and air to our sanctuary in South Africa. Here they quickly settled in, and today are adored by our team – lavished with the best possible care.
Meanwhile, our work continues to end forever the outdated exploitation of wild animals in circuses worldwide.
