FOUR PAWS South Africa celebrates at LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary with local community learners – and Humane Society International Africa
Each and every one of us can make a difference for animals. World Animal Day is celebrated annually all over the world, and aims to raise the status of animals in order to improve their welfare standards.
LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary, a project by FOUR PAWS South Africa, will be marking this special and exciting day by celebrating with children from the local community. This year on World Animal Day, FOUR PAWS South Africa & Humane Society International (HSI) Africa will be launching a ‘Green Monday’ initiative at Big Cat Sanctuary LIONSROCK. As part of this launch, FOUR PAWS South Africa’s educators will host a small event for some local children at the sanctuary to celebrate both occasions. Highlights of this World Animal Day celebration will be linking animal welfare to nutrition, and in turn, growing your own food, as well as getting the children to take our Lion Longevity Oath, amongst other things.
LIONSROCK provides an appropriate, lifelong home for big cats that were kept in inadequate conditions in zoos, circuses, private captivity or have been victims of the canned lion hunting and lion breeding industry. The sanctuary is situated 18km outside of Bethlehem, in the Free State province of South Africa and houses over 100 big cats from all over the world.
Our vision is a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding; and by educating the youth who live in the immediate area of the sanctuary on this coming World Animal Day, we hope to work towards this important vision.
FOUR PAWS South Africa’s educators have a special day planned for 20 local children and their teachers from a school in Bethlehem. The focus of this day will be to further instill in them love, respect and understanding for ALL animals.
LIONSROCK encourages other sanctuaries, animal welfare organizations, community groups, youth and children’s clubs, businesses and individuals to organize their own events in celebration of World Animal Day.
- Contact Name: Tanya van Tonder
- Contact Email: tanya.van.tonder@four-paws.org.za
- Location: Cape Town
- Organised by: Tanya van Tonder
We had a truly wonderful #WorldAnimalDay celebration at our project, LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary & Lodge with 20 children from the local Bethlehem community.
The children took our FOUR PAWS #LionLongevityOath by adding their tiny handprints as a symbol of them committing to protect lions and our wildlife. We had various local media present on the day for the event, as well as South African actress, model and TV presenter Kajal Bagwandeen who added her voice to the FOUR PAWS campaign.
As part of the celebration, the children had an educational experience where they also learnt about the importance of reducing the consumption of animal products and feasted on Humane Society International – Africa‘s yummy GreenMonday South Africa plant-based breakfast and lunch. We were also blessed with a donation of vegetable seedlings from Reel Gardening – pre-fertilised seed strips that encases the seeds – which the children planted in recycled containers they brought from home, and then decorated as animals.
The children ended off their day by visiting the big cats of LIONSROCK, and saw lions, tigers and leopards. They went home after a full day with their planted seedling containers, a certificate to show they signed the #LionLongevityOath, as well as stationary packs for school and animal welfare education.
World Animal Day is an annual worldwide celebration of animals and the important roles they play on our precious planet. Teaching children to care for and protect animals are of utmost importance as they will determine their future and their welfare.