Animal cruelty represents what is wrong with the world; where humans feel they have the right to exploit animals for commercial gain. The only solution is to find a way the world cannot profiteer from these animals. This is why FOUR PAWS have joined forces with various other NGO’s in the fight against the captive breeding industry in South Africa. Together we can make a change, together we can petition Government to change laws, raise awareness so that consumers change their behaviour and give needy animals species appropriate lifelong homes at True Sanctuaries.

The eye opener for Fiona Miles, Director of FOUR PAWS in South Africa was after she watched a shocking documentary on television about a lioness being shot in front of her cub in a fenced area. This cruel and unjust practise left Fiona feeling sick to her stomach, and the reality is that most people are not even aware of what is happening to our majestic lions in South Africa. Soon Fiona’s path crossed with an amazing team from FOUR PAWS who had the same passion and a great vision where all the cages are empty. Together they took on the mammoth task of turning a breeding farm, where big cats were exploited for commercial gain, into a True Sanctuary, LIONSROCK. Nearly, 19 years later, the FOUR PAWS team have rescued over 150 big cats from around the world.

Every roar that echoes between the escarpment of LIONSROCK is a reminder to Fiona that they have saved an animal and are giving them the best possible life; but it is also a reminder that the job is not done yet. Together we can T as we are far from a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding.

Like steering any ship, you need a team to help you weather the storm. Barbara van Genne, Director Wild Animals is one of the team members you want on a ship. A successful rescue is only possible with thorough planning of every little detail: From who needs to go, each person’s responsibility in the rescue, to arranging flights, ensuring paperwork is correct and that our supporters are kept updated on the rescue; Barbara coordinates a rescue – making it possible for the teams to do this effectively. One small mistake or if something is forgotten could have a major impact on a rescue, and therefore planning is extremely important. Of course, things sometimes change at the last minute, and this is when the team pulls together to prioritise and find solutions for problems that we might face. 

With a successful rescue, animals are transported to our sanctuaries where there are guardians waiting to give them lifelong care in a species-appropriate environment.

Our sanctuaries give animals a second lease on life – where they get the nutrition they need, medical care, enrichment to stimulate their natural behaviour and is the place where they can flourish again. To achieve this for the animals, we have teams dedicated to achieving these goals. Hildegard Pirker, Sanctuary Manager, at our LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary, is one of these people. 

Born Austrian, she came to South Africa with the first international transfer and has been calling LIONSROCK home for nearly 19 years. She and her team take care of more around 100 big cats – a job that calls for focus and dedication.  

Two full days a week are dedicated to feeding all the resident big cats at LIONSROCK, those with special care are fed smaller portions, and some of these need to be daily.  These big cats coming from private keeping, intensive breeding farms, zoos and circuses. Inadequate nutrition from early on has led to a large number of them needing supplementation whilst the older big cats with special needs might need medication – some daily. Aside from these intensive tasks, enclosures need to be maintained, enrichment needs to be prepared for the big cats and there needs to be careful monitoring of the animals to make sure we detect any medical problems as and when they arise.   

Hildegard and her team have a lot to prepare for the rescued animals. On the day of arrival, she and her team usually leave before sunrise and arrive again at LIONSROCK late in the afternoon. She checks and assesses the animals, refills their water and then off to LIONSROCK where she leads the release of the animals and makes sure they settle in. In the weeks following the arrival of new big cats, she monitors them closely, builds trust, and ultimately ensures that the big cats who come to LIONSROCK get to live their happiest lives.