Former Circus Tigers, Sasha and Kumal, Run and Play for the First Time Ever [Video]

Before they were rescued, Sasha and Kumal, suffered daily at the Guatemalan circus where they were born. They were kept in a bare cage without any stimulation and treated with the cruelty that is inherent to wild animal circuses. Fortunately, after Guatemala banned animal circuses, Animal Defenders International (ADI) came to the rescue.

Because they had been born in the circus, the six-year-old tigers were thrilled with the amount of space and toys that they had access to at the ADI Temporary Rescue Unit. Sasha and Kumal chased each other around and splashed in the pool, overjoyed with the promise of a new life. At night, they snuggled together and slept with their limbs intertwined.

Now the two are living at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa, where they have acres of grass to explore. They are finally able to live out a life that is full of joy, love, and peace like they were always meant to.

This video, “Eat, Play, Love” is the third of ADI’s three-part short film series that features pairs of ex-circus big cats that have a loving bond, like Sasha and Kumal. The first part showed the rescue and relocation of Tarzan and Tanya from a circus in Guatemala. The second featured Leo and Muñeca, senior lions who were rescued from a circus in Peru.

Jan Creamer, ADI President, commented on the series, “Throughout our years of rescuing animals, we’ve seen even the most traumatized individuals display an incredible capacity for love. Thanks to our supporters, and governments who end cruel animal circuses, we have been able to rescue these animals and bring them to a place where they can enjoy something of the life they lost—with space, natural environment, and freedom to choose.”

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Related Content:

• See How Loving and Inseparable These Rescued Circus Lions Are
• Rescued Circus Lion Feels Grass and Dirt for the First Time in 13 Years! (VIDEO)
• These 2 Former Circus Lions Just Returned to Africa – and It’s Incredibly Moving (VIDEO)

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