HS-01. Lion Ark
USA/United Kingdom/Bolivia, Feature Documentary, 2013, 91 min
For two years a team of investigators from Animal Defenders International (ADI) infiltrated the South American circus industry filming everything they saw. The findings shocked a continent. Bolivia banned animals in circuses, but almost every circus defied the law and nothing changed. In the most ambitious animal rescue ever undertaken, ADI returns to track down the illegal circuses and, in sometimes fierce confrontations between rescuers and circus owners, the investigators try to save every animal. The most emotional moments are when 25 African lions, after being caged their entire lives, are released in a large wild-animal sanctuary in Colorado. At last, here is a film about serious animal issues that will have you cheering.
Directed by Tim Phillips
Produced by Jan Creamer
Featuring Pat Craig from the Wild Animal Sanctuary
Tim Phillips, Jan Creamer and Pat Craig in person
Co-presented by the Wild Animal Sanctuary